WBC Given Massive Fine

[Arios V]

Earlier today, a jury in Baltimore gave a massive $11 million dollar fine (the money is going to the soldiers Dad) to the WBC after they picketed the funeral of a soldier who had died in Iraq back in March 2006. At first, the jury was only going to award $2.9 million as compensatory damages, but later in the afternoon awarded an additional $8 million to make up for emotional distress and for invasion of privacy. The amount of the fine is greater than the net worth of the defendants.

However, this case might end up in the Supreme Court because the WBC is claiming that their demonstrations and hateful speech are protected by the 1st Amendment.

Right now, just discuss this while I think of a good question(s)  

[CaprinaePsi]

Now, I'm pretty sure those assholes are full of s**t (An analogy that actually works? Nice), as I'm also pretty sure the first amendment does not protect slander, statements with malice in them, or something along the line of that.  

[Arios V]

CaprinaePsi

Now, I'm pretty sure those assholes are full of s**t (An analogy that actually works? Nice), as I'm also pretty sure the first amendment does not protect slander, statements with malice in them, or something along the line of that.

The WBC is full of s**t.

However, the problem is that the constitution doesn't make it explicitly clear as to what could/should be protected under the 1st Amendment.

1st Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

It's that weak language that allows them to carry on and a chance to win an appeal.  

[Aaron Lee Morrison]

Avoir Le Retour...

It's funny, I went to Wikipedia, and found this pic on the WBC wiki page:



Stupid ******** style="font-size: 9px">

...Les Adieux

 

[Koravin]

Les Adieux

Avoir Le Retour...

It's funny, I went to Wikipedia, and found this pic on the WBC wiki page:



Stupid ******** style="font-size: 9px">

...Les Adieux

Yeah, I think if God hated America, it wouldn't be because of our 'tolerance' of gays.

It's about time someone nailed them. If they're going to be crazy fundies, can't they do it at their own funerals or something? Really, disrespectful doesn't cover it. Rawr, I hate everything about that cult.  

[Sanguvixen]

Everyone in America has a right to free speech. However, that right comes with responisibilty. If you are going to open your mouth you should be responsible about it...correct?

The WBC is abusing thier right to free speech. I think that they should use this case as a chance to crack down on the whole "Protests at funerals."

I don't care how bad a person who dies is, or what they stood for. A funeral is for the living to have a chance to grieve. It is the one place that protesting should not ever occur.

There are people who die every year protecting our freedom to open our very big mouths. For a group of people who cannot respect our soldiers, or the dead, there should be no concern over wether or not coming down on them will require violating a bit of the free speech part. They don't respect the people fighting for that right anyway.

You don't stomp on the American flag, and slanderize the soldiers who protect it's values, and then turn around to cry about having your "Right to free speech" violated. It just doesn't work that way.

If one wants to be able to speak freely than they need to understand there is a time and place for everything...being fined heavily just might teach the WBC that valuable lesson.

 

[SkeletonPhoenix]

I beilieve that this could fall under the clear and present danger section of the first amendment. Thats because they damaged things during their demenstration.  

[Lunar Falcon]

These people came and picketed my high school about two years back when we created a Gay Straight Alliance club. They're a huge bunch of a** hats.  

[ProjectOmicron88]

The appeal won't go through for one very simple reason.

Everyone has a right to say what they want to say, but they are not permitted to repeatedly infringe upon the rights of others in doing so. What the WBC is doing is closer to harassment. That, and the fact that a picture of the fallen soldier in question was put on their site with several hateful remarks, thus bringing it into defamation territory anyway.  

[Arios V]

Sanguvixen

Everyone in America has a right to free speech. However, that right comes with responisibilty. If you are going to open your mouth you should be responsible about it...correct?

The WBC is abusing thier right to free speech. I think that they should use this case as a chance to crack down on the whole "Protests at funerals."

I don't care how bad a person who dies is, or what they stood for. A funeral is for the living to have a chance to grieve. It is the one place that protesting should not ever occur.

There are people who die every year protecting our freedom to open our very big mouths. For a group of people who cannot respect our soldiers, or the dead, there should be no concern over wether or not coming down on them will require violating a bit of the free speech part. They don't respect the people fighting for that right anyway.

You don't stomp on the American flag, and slanderize the soldiers who protect it's values, and then turn around to cry about having your "Right to free speech" violated. It just doesn't work that way.

If one wants to be able to speak freely than they need to understand there is a time and place for everything...being fined heavily just might teach the WBC that valuable lesson.

Well said.  

[Sanguvixen]

ProjectOmicron88

The appeal won't go through for one very simple reason.

Everyone has a right to say what they want to say, but they are not permitted to repeatedly infringe upon the rights of others in doing so. What the WBC is doing is closer to harassment. That, and the fact that a picture of the fallen soldier in question was put on their site with several hateful remarks, thus bringing it into defamation territory anyway.

Did the family of the soldier tell them to leave? If they did, and the WBC didn't comply that just creates a stronger case for harrasment.

Slander, Harrasment, and possible damage to property...it sounds like they don't have much of a case for appeals.

 

[OH NO ITS DEVO]

WBC isn't even considered a part of baptism anymore. They're so hateful that no one will accept them as part of their community.
Why would they make the strange analogy that all wars are caused by homosexuality being accepted? and why, of all nations to blame, would they blame the united states, one of the less accepting nations of homosexuality in the world? they're blaming the USA, canada, sweden, ireland, and england mainly for all the world's wars.
WTF?
they don't know what they're talking about.
They try to get others' rights taken away, but then use it to their advantage when people try to get them to SHUT UP.
Some people blame all religions for being hateful, but these people are so hateful that christianity, which is often berated by claims of its hatefulness, won't accept, as a community, these horrible people.

They want to take away gay peoples' rights, why don't we take away their (the church's) rights for a while, see how they like it?  

[Zekeachu]

They had it coming. They're pretty much nothing but all of America's most elite jackasses in one group, attempting to destroy the rights of groups of certain people because some hypothetical big man in the sky supposedly doesn't like them. Although 11 million is a bit much, hopefully it will get it through their thick skulls that nobody really wants them, or listens to them.  

[sora987]

Zeke_Powerful

They had it coming. They're pretty much nothing but all of America's most elite jackasses in one group, attempting to destroy the rights of groups of certain people because some hypothetical big man in the sky supposedly doesn't like them. Although 11 million is a bit much, hopefully it will get it through their thick skulls that nobody really wants them, or listens to them.

You took the words out of my mouth. But I don't think they'll learn anything from this. In fact, they'll probably end up even more obnoxious.  

[Arios V]

sora987

Zeke_Powerful

They had it coming. They're pretty much nothing but all of America's most elite jackasses in one group, attempting to destroy the rights of groups of certain people because some hypothetical big man in the sky supposedly doesn't like them. Although 11 million is a bit much, hopefully it will get it through their thick skulls that nobody really wants them, or listens to them.

You took the words out of my mouth. But I don't think they'll learn anything from this. In fact, they'll probably end up even more obnoxious.

Probably, but that means the courts will have a chance to give them another fine.