If you have ever played baseball, you know the idea of taking one for the team. You lean inside and let the pitcher hit you so you can get on base. You lay down the sacrifice so you can move a runner over.
Today, America took one for the team.
Perhaps, more properly, we should say, America took one for the Constitution.
Today the Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit brought by Albert Snyder against the freaks at Westboro Baptist Church.
Snyder’s son, Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder gave his life for this country as a Marine in Iraq. When Lance Corporal Snyder was returned to his home for burial, the Westboro freak show was there, picketing.
Their pickets are designed to be outrageous. Under the theory of, if it bleeds, it leads; their outrageous tactics are guaranteed to get them exposure.
Albert Snyder is a better man than me. If I had been the father of a fallen Marine and they had done that, several of them would be in the hospital and I would be in jail. Snyder did the right thing. He sued them.
He claimed their actions constituted an “intentional infliction of emotional distress,” invaded his privacy and violating his rights to free assembly and free exercise of his religion beliefs. The Supreme Court rejected his argument 8-1.
As disgusting as Phelps and his clan are, the Supremes actually got this one right.
The First Amendment of the Constitution is perhaps the most important of all of them. It states:
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.
Tyrants hate free speech, free assembly or the right of the people to petition the government for a redress of their grievances. Our founding fathers knew this well, which is why it was the FIRST Amendment to the Constitution.
In this era, we see continuing assaults on our freedoms. If Obama and his regime had its way, the Tea Party movement would have never been allowed to gather for the first Tea Party rallies two years ago.
Such threats to freedom are not limited to threats from the Democrats. Remember the bill to repeal the First Amendment was called “McCain-Feingold”.
If the media would quit playing up the lunatics from Kansas, the Fred Phelps freak show would quietly fade away. But given the desire the political class has to shut down anyone who disagrees with them, this ruling absolutely affirming the freedoms of the First Amendment, though painful, was a good thing.
Permalink Reply by Ken B on 
Permalink Reply by Rev. Dan C. Corley on Permalink Reply by Rev. Dan C. Corley on Permalink Reply by JOHN DELASAUX on Permalink Reply by Rev. Dan C. Corley on Permalink Reply by Sean Reardon on Permalink Reply by JOHN DELASAUX on Don't worry.
It is NOT a Freedom of Speech issue.
It is really an Invasion of Privacy issue. The lawyers sued for the wrong thing.
Permalink Reply by Ken B on Permalink Reply by JOHN DELASAUX on 
Permalink Reply by Sumsanity on Yep, I've got to agree, Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder gave his life so that these nimrods could display their stupidity. I wish I had his courage.
Mr. Snyder, no words can express our sorrow of your loss.
I know God will welcome Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder with fanfare and open arms.
Permalink Reply by JC Daley on When Gabrielle Giffords was shot and the others killed these piecesof crap threatened to come to AZ for the Funerals. The State legislators passed a bill that would require any disruptive groups who want to picket funerals have to stay 300' away. It does not infringe the right to free speech--no matter how vile--but also protects the families. The people of Tucson were prepared to stand at the 300' mark and not let the westboros farther away.......but they never showed up!! I also appreciate Alito's dissent so that he could express what the majority of Americans feels about these dispicable people!! Good on him!
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