Westboro church members have tires slashed in McAlester

[dbacks fan]

A conversation with the Reverend.  Towards the bottom of the page.

http://www.ankarlo.net/?s=Fred+Phelps&cmdSubmit.x=47&cmdSubmit.y=15

[Townsend]

Arizona lawmakers take up funeral protest legislation

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/01/11/arizona.funeral.westboro/index.html

[custosnox]

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/01/11/arizona.funeral.westboro/index.html

How long do you think it will take Phelps to file against it as it restrists his First Amendment rights

[dbacks fan]

How long do you think it will take Phelps to file against it as it restrists his First Amendment rights

"The bill is patterned after an Ohio law that establishes a 300-foot protection zone around a funeral location from one hour before the event until one hour after it. The Ohio law was recently upheld by the Sixth U.S. Court of Appeals, which made Arizona lawmakers confident their proposal is constitutional."

http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/011111_funeral_picket_ban

[custosnox]

"The bill is patterned after an Ohio law that establishes a 300-foot protection zone around a funeral location from one hour before the event until one hour after it. The Ohio law was recently upheld by the Sixth U.S. Court of Appeals, which made Arizona lawmakers confident their proposal is constitutional."

http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/local/report/011111_funeral_picket_ban

That's good to know, but doesn't mean that phelps won't try to fight it anyhow

[Townsend]

That's good to know, but doesn't mean that phelps won't try to fight it anyhow

Someone needs to file a lawsuit that will break the family.

[Conan71]

Some family somewhere should be able to convince a jury they suffered billions of dollars in emotional distress due to the Westies protesting their child's funeral.  I'm sure there's more than one attorney who would take that action pro-bono and let the plantiffs keep 100% of any recovery.

[nathanm]

How long do you think it will take Phelps to file against it as it restrists his First Amendment rights

He has to get nicked for it first.

Edited to add: Not anywhere they have a cap on non-economic damages, Conan.

[swake]

Some family somewhere should be able to convince a jury they suffered billions of dollars in emotional distress due to the Westies protesting their child's funeral.  I'm sure there's more than one attorney who would take that action pro-bono and let the plantiffs keep 100% of any recovery.

One already has. The family won over $10 million in court, but lost on appeal and is now to the Supreme Court.

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2010/04/marine_scotus_040510w/

[dbacks fan]

Just a crying shame it wasn't six of the Westies killed instead.

Conan, there is a group wanting to protest you for comparing Westies to the WBC Clan, and this is their leader:

[Townsend]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2011/01/12/132861422/report-westboro-baptist-wont-protest-at-funeral-of-9-year-old

Just in from Topeka's Capital-Journal:

"Topeka's Westboro Baptist Church won't picket the funeral of a 9-year-old girl killed in Saturday's shooting rampage in Tucson, Ariz., in exchange for getting airtime on two radio stations, a church spokeswoman said Wednesday morning."

But the tiny, controversial church that stages protests outside funerals of soldiers and others to spread its anti-abortion message, is going ahead with plans to be outside Friday's funeral of federal Judge John Roll, another of the six people killed on Saturday

[Conan71]

I was prepared for this.

Sic 'em Butch!

[dbacks fan]

I was prepared for this.

Sic 'em Butch!

Touche'

[nathanm]

I really wish people would stop referring to this group of people as a "church." A child abuse ring is not a church.

[dbacks fan]

They won't be protesting Christina's services, but they will protest all the others.

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2011/01/12/20110112arizona-shooting-church-agrees-not-to-protest.html