funeral-picking

[Roundeye]

Picketing one's funeral for WHATEVER reason is just plain provocative and distasteful.  Picketing a soldier's funeral (esp one KIA) who served/died to protect our freedom is deplorable.

Even if you don't agree with the war, that individual answered the call and stepped up in everyone elses place to leave his/her family and travel far away to fight threats to our great country.  That individual and their family deserves nothing less than respect from every person that soldier represented, fought and died for.  Period.

Any person protesting a soldier's funeral should be deported.  That is a disrespect equal to burning a nation's flag and should be dealt with in the harshest manner.  Those kind of actions serve no purpose other than strengthening our enemies.

Note:  No. I am not a soldier.  I am an American who unquestionably supports those in our military.  I am a Patriot Guard Rider who has been to several funerals of our fallen heros and thankfully have never seen a protester.  But if I ever do, it is my DUTY to see to it that that person is not seen or heard by the family or anyone else at the service.

[Shifty]

Picketing one's funeral for WHATEVER reason is just plain provocative and distasteful.  Picketing a soldier's funeral (esp one KIA) who served/died to protect our freedom is deplorable.

Any person protesting a soldier's funeral should be deported.  That is a disrespect equal to burning a nation's flag and should be dealt with in the harshest manner.  Those kind of actions serve no purpose other than strengthening our enemies.

I think this is much worse than burning a flag. However that soldier gave his life to ensure these knuckleheads are able to practice their right to protest. Deporting them just takes away the very rights the soldier gave his life defending.

[Jackal1]

No law required, just more Patriot Guard riders. :")

[Airhead]

Prohibiting protesting at funerals deprives no one of a liberty they should have. Should people have the right to stage a march in a church? How about in a public school? Not protesting at funerals is just common sense and decency that shouldn't have had to be made law.

I agree with the first part of what you say- it's not depriving them of a liberty they should have, but it is depriving them of a liberty that they do have....and are guaranteed.

Saying "well, yeah, but they are over the top, they are deliberately being provocative, they are trying to provoke civil unrest" is conjecture on our part- it's not up to us to examine the motives of protesters as much as it's up to us to defend their right- hell, ALL our right- to protest.

The second part- protesting in a church or a school- Churches are basically private property, so protesters are trespassing- if I had a church and a bunch of people used their first amendment rights on me I'd call in a bunch of my 2nd amendment friends and evoke my fourth amendment rights to clear my church. My second and fourth amendments trump your first amendment any day.

Schools? If I have a minor child in a public school I have a reasonable expectation you will not allow my minor child to be subjected to school sanctioned political POV displays. Sorry Rip, but we disagree- Schools at the primary level do not have the right to host controversial guests who will engage in political pitches. While my child is in their custody they have a responsibility, right? Or would you be OK with Cindy Sheehan coming to visit your kids' school assembly, talking about how illegal the Iraq war is?

But the right to protest on public property, without trespassing or otherwise violating ordinances currently in place, is what is being outlawed in Kansas....and the reasons are exactly what some of you state- Because we don't like what, and how, they're protesting.

Remember this when someone decides they don't like what you have to say, and how you say it.

[AKIron]

Schools are about as public property as you can get. You can't say it's not ok to protest there but it is ok to protest at a funeral. Well, you can say it but you would be inconsistent.

[james]

I agree with the civil rights of free speech. It's when you are burying your brother that has fallen in war and while the casket is being lowered into the ground, a group of people that do not know or even care starts heckling your family and throwing things at the procession. Telling your dad that the "guy in the box is dead and it's a good thing". Spitting on your mom and saying "hey your baby died killing babies". Yelling things like "oh it's awsome your son died in the war maybe they'll stop the war now and it'll be too late for your son"!Picture 30 people surrounding the funeral of maybe 15 to 20 people who lost someone close to them. Picketing is now some sort of lets get people to beat on me so I can get it on film and sue kind of pastime. It's not freedom of speech it makes a mockery of it. How about let me talk with my hands to those people, it's "freedom of speech" right? It's communicating.

[Airhead]

Schools are about as public property as you can get. You can't say it's not ok to protest there but it is ok to protest at a funeral. Well, you can say it but you would be inconsistent.

 Public property is best defined as where you can have free assembly- if you, me and a few other people assemble at the playground of a local elementary school I guarantee you we'll find out rather quickly we do not have the right to assemble there, especially while school is in session. The right to enter a public school is by permission only- we can't wander around unopposed, burning flags or chanting or having fake die-ins during 6th grade recess, but we CAN do that on the steps of City Hall and we can do that on our sidewalks and street corners.

[culero]

Airhead, I'm with you in regard to the right to assembly in public areas, and the right to free speech. I agree these idiots are within their rights to do that.

However, I also believe that a funeral is an inherently private affair. I believe a family has the right to expect privacy for this purpose.

So, in my opinion, if people seek to use assembly in a public area specifically to disrupt and harass other citizens who are engaged in an activity they are entitled to expect privacy for, then they are going beyond the scope of free speech. Their behavior then becomes abusive to the rights of the citizens they are harassing, thus their behavior becomes something a community can and should suppress.

Free speech allows you to express whatever opinion you wish without suppression from the government. However, it does not allow you to become abusive of other citizens.

[wrongwayric]

The aren't taking your freedom of speech or assembly away, they are just requiring you to do it at a respectfull distance. Is it really any different than a union striker not being allowed to picket inside a companies property? How about not being able to smoke were i work and having to be 15ft from the building/entrance? Isn't that interferring with my right to "pursuit of happiness"? No not IMO, it's asking me to be respectfull of the majority of people i work with. I may not like it but out of respect for others i can handle it. Somewhere, and i'm to lazy to do the research, it defines a "lawfull and unlawfull" assembly and i believe that is part of or an ammendment to the constitution?

[AKIron]

Public property is best defined as where you can have free assembly- if you, me and a few other people assemble at the playground of a local elementary school I guarantee you we'll find out rather quickly we do not have the right to assemble there, especially while school is in session. The right to enter a public school is by permission only- we can't wander around unopposed, burning flags or chanting or having fake die-ins during 6th grade recess, but we CAN do that on the steps of City Hall and we can do that on our sidewalks and street corners.

Whoa, you want to restrict what is defined as "public property" and where free speech can be practiced but claim to be libertarian in regards to free speech? How is that different from me saying that the public assembly at a funeral cannot be of a protest or demonstration nature? 

[AWMac]

its not about the picketing , maybe if they didnt have posters thanking god for his death becouse he was a sinner and worked for the devel and such things just becouse he was in the armor it wouldnt have gotten to the point of establising a law against it. There is such a thing as right to peace and happyness you are alowed to do anything till it infringess on anothers rights which this set of MORONs were doing hers a link to the story and tell me people should NOT be protected in there most grievious moments. And if you dont think they should becouse you think its an inaliable right to picket THERE funeral your sadly mistaken this was not free speach but pure hate mongering.

you forgot the part that says...

"I is a professor of Urban Studies from Temple University Yo."

[Maverick]

A mortuary and cemetary are both examples of private property, not public. As such they are not the proper place for a public demonstration. A soldiers funeral is also not the place to try and make a change in public policy. Unless the policy makers are present your message to them will not be noted.

[AWMac]

I say we need to stage a mock funeral...
Publicise the Hell out of it.
Have the casket brought from the hearse to the grave.
All the protesters nearby....chanting their lil arses off...
and at the last minute have the lid pop open and a BIG HUGE Marine with a bat jumps out swingin.

 

I'd bet after a few funerals the protests would stop... lack of protesters participation.

Mac

[Roundeye]

Some people say picketing a funeral of a soldier is freedom of speech/right to protest.  That soldier died protecting these and other freedoms.  The ultimate in irony.  I still say soldier funeral protesters cross the line of human decency and should be stripped of their citizenship and escorted to a border of their choice.

Funeral protesting does nothing more than harm a family's time of mourning for a loved one.  It makes victims out of every relative, friend and attendee by denying a chance to pay last respects in a peaceful manor.  The protest does not send a political message because nobody there agrees with it, otherwise they would not be in attendance in the first place.  It only psycologically harms fellow citizens.

As far as I'm concerned, this falls under domestic terrorism.  Protesting a soldier's funeral is something I would expect from a crazed individual who plans to hijack an aircraft and crash it into a bulding.....NOT something I would expect from someone who claims to be a citizen and supporter of this country.

People that would do either grew up wrong.  Bad wrong.  Here is an example of how sadly our times have changed:

In WWII, a mother lost all of her sons in combat.  What did she do?  She traveled the country selling war bonds.

Not too long back, a mother lost her son in Iraq in combat.  What did she do?  Turned into a leading anti-war protester.

Sad.

[Ripsnort]

Schools at the primary level do not have the right to host controversial guests who will engage in political pitches. While my child is in their custody they have a responsibility, right? Or would you be OK with Cindy Sheehan coming to visit your kids' school assembly, talking about how illegal the Iraq war is?

But the right to protest on public property, without trespassing or otherwise violating ordinances currently in place, is what is being outlawed in Kansas....and the reasons are exactly what some of you state- Because we don't like what, and how, they're protesting.

Remember this when someone decides they don't like what you have to say, and how you say it.

Once we start limiting the scope of what is acceptable forms and places of protest we've eroded that right.

A cemetary is private property.

Airhead...Double standard is thy name.