I have been writing for some time now about the Westboro Baptist Church, and their indefensible protests at funerals of fallen soldiers. I continually make it a point to remind everyone the ACLU has made these protests possible by fighting State ordinances which would bar protests within 300 feet of a funeral. Followers of Fred Phelps at the Westboro Baptist Church carry signs which read “God Hates Fagsâ€, and “Thank God For Maimed Soldiersâ€, yet the ACLU felt it was their Constitutional Right to show up at a funeral and disrupt family and friends of fallen soldiers.
Well Federal Courts agreed that religious nut jobs had the right to say “God Hates Fags†at a military funeral, although there presence would be an obvious disturbance to the family and friends of the deceased soldier. Recently, the subject of “God Hates Fags†has come up again, this time in McHenry County, Illinois. In this case the term was printed on a flier and the Judge took action, holding one suspect without bail, and ordering the other placed under house arrest.
What was the difference in these 2 cases? In the second example the 2 suspects were 16 year old girls. Everyone still following along here? Hate filled cult protesting funerals of fallen soldiers, wishing for the death of more American soldiers, GOOD. Sixteen year old High School students passing out a derogatory flier about a fellow student BAD.
The case in Illinois revolves around a pair of 16-year-old girls face hate crime charges after they allegedly handed out anti-gay fliers targeting a classmate at their northern Illinois high school. The charges allege the girls were distributing fliers showing two men kissing and containing inflammatory language toward homosexuals.
As Stop The ACLU notes:
“The ACLU, predictably, said it indicates the struggle between protecting targeted groups and free speech, which apparently means hate speech directed at whites, Christians, or men is a-ok in the ACLU’s book.â€
The struggle the ACLU is referring to, is the struggle to dismantle the Constitution so slowly that no one realizes it is being done. The fact that it is considered free speech when speaking about a fallen soldier, but the same term is considered hate speech when speaking about a homosexual shows how far off course our Country has gone since the drafting of our Constitution.
It is one thing for a private organization such as the ACLU to show its hypocrisy, it is quite another when our court system does as well.
Original article




Comments: 20
WBC's website is called godhatesfags.com, and they regularly carry signs that say exactly that. So if the ACLU believe it is a hate crime in one instance, why not the other?
And Mitch
I agree with you "democracy cannot cherry-pick who is entitled to protection under the Constitution and who is not."
Explain that to the 16 year old girl being held without bail simply for passing out an offensive flier!
I find it amazing how many people criticize volunteers . . . while doing nothing themselves besides criticizing them . . . some don't see that, at the very least, the volunteers are responding in a dynamic and proactive manner.
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
It just goes to show what a horrible, hate-filled, misogynist religion it is.
Maybe you should read things before you copy/paste them?
And Clark in the effort of fairness I have sent the following e-mail to the ACLU:
To whom it may concern,
I recently read an article in the Daily Herald (http://www.dailyherald.com/news/mchenrystory.asp?id=315686&cc=k&tc=&t=) regarding 2 girls arrested for felony hate crime charge alleging she and a friend distributed anti-homosexual fliers at her high school. I realize your orginization did not support any hate crimes legislation unless a provision was made to insure it did not violate free speech. To the best of my knowledge these two girls are only being charged based on the content of the fliers, and there were no assault or similar charges filed (meaning the charges are against free speech).
I was wondering if these girls contacted your orginization for assistance in this matter, if so what was your reply? If they have not contacted you, I would appreciate knowing your position on this issue.
Thank you
Charles Signorile
I will update this post if they reply.
The misogyny of your church is legend - this anti-gay rhetoric is just more of the same. Xtianity is a hate group.
Thanks for the post. I've written about Westboro before, and they're a hideous bunch. Figures the ACLU doesn't consider their speech "hateful."