The Westboro Baptist Church has been ordered to pay $3,150 for costs and fees associated with a summons and complaint filed by the father of a Marine whose funeral was picketed by the extremist group.

Albert Snyder of York, Pa., is suing the Rev. Fred Phelps and his Topeka, Kan.-based church after church members demonstrated at the funeral of Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder of Westminster, and posted pictures of the protest on their Web site.

Corporal Snyder was killed in Iraq in March. Snyder's lawsuit, filed June 5, alleges church members violated the family's right to privacy and defamed the Marine and his family at the funeral and on the church's Web site.

Phelps and the church refused to grant a waiver in the serving of summonses in connection with the federal lawsuit, making the church liable for those costs.

Court documents say the church has 30 days to make the payment to Snyder.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/loc...,1232396.story

 

Freedom of speach can kiss my white ***!

Do you want protesters at your mothers funeral? your fathers? YOUR FUNERAL?

For all I care, those dang bible thumpers should have been sent to jail. Lousy bastards.

 

They need to add a few more zeros to that amount to be paid.

 

I agree with lifeguardjoe and kingfish51.

Freakin Jack@$$es.

 

I have no problem with them saying what they want, even if they are a-holes. I do have a problem with them saying it at the funeral of the serviceman. Then they are violating the rights of those friends and family of the serviceman thru harassment.

 

As they are only protesting at military serviceman's funerals, I would say they are harassing the serviceman's friends and family. They don't have a clue whether the serviceman was gay or not. Not that it matters. Anyone willing to fight and die for this country does not deserve to be treated like that.

 

Not at the funeral. If they want to march down the street and say that fine. But not at the funeral.

 

Not from what I have seen. They are trying to get as close as they can to the funeral. Also they have no idea who the serviceman is. They seem to be protesting because they are servicemen and for no other reason.

 

I heard about these people on the Bubba the love sponge show on Sirius, They say that the servicemen are dying because god hates **** and our country supports gay rights, and that this war is our punishment for that.
These people have the right to say how they feel, but should have the respect to not do it at a funeral

 

Fred Phelps is a disbarred Civil Rights attorney, and defrocked minister.

The only reason he exists is his desire to get punched in the mouth so he can sue someone; the more inflammatory his rhetoric, the more likely that is to happen. Most of his "church" (which has no affiliation with any other "Baptist" church) is made of members of his family.

The beauty of fighting him the way the Patriot Guard Riders do is that the PGR turns their backs on the protesters, and shields the family and other mourners from being exposed to the filth the spout with a wall of flags and respect. If you want respect, you have to give it; therefore you'll never see the Westboro folks get any. The PGR and guys like OnBelay, however, don't get enough praise or help form the rest of us, as far as I'm concerned.

While I'm not a big country music fan, I like the way Trace Adkins puts it in the song Fighting Words"

"Excuse me
First amendment?
Son, the first amendment protects you from the government
Not from me
You can say whatever you want to out there
You come within reach of me
I'll exercise my right to give you a good ol' country *** whoopin'
Is what I'll do for you
By God"