Update: US Supreme Court Protects Westboro Baptist Church

This is a update to my last note regarding the threat by a hacker group to strike out at the Westboro Baptist Church if the organization does not end its hateful protests. At the time of the threat, the WBC was already in court defending its rights after being sued by the family of a deceased soldier for protesting outside his funeral. The case worked its way up to the US Supreme Court, which determined that the WBC had protested lawfully, obeying all regulations, and was entitled to the protection of the First Amendment since the government cannot control the content of protests.

Justice Samuel Alito was the lone dissenter in the 8-1 decision. He states in his dissent that there ought to be not protection for the sort of bitter and irreverent hatred that the WBC preaches.

You can read more here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/judicial/2011-03-02-westboro-first-amendment_N.htm

As I said in my previous note, I don't like the WBC any more than anyone else, but free speech is important to us all, and even it means continuing to put up with the WBC, I for one am glad that free speech is still safe for all, not matter the message. For that reason, I'm penciling into my calendar the WBC's next protect in my area, because I plan to use that right to respond to them in the correct manner, by joining the many that counterprotest with messages of tolerance. I encourage you all to do the same. You can find the WBC's picket calendar on their website: www.godhatesfags.com

The Freedom to Be a Pain

This is hypocritical and wrong. I don't like the Westboro Baptist Church any more than anyone else, but it isn't right for the hacker group known as Anonymous to retaliate in this way, by making these threats, while advocating some weird version of free speech that excludes those that society sees (let's be honest) as a pain in the ass. Pains in the ass deserve free speech too. For today, I support the Westboro Baptist Church. We can be better than this, people. If we try to take away the freedoms of others by fear and intimidation, we don't deserve those freedoms ourselves.

CBS News Reports :

"A group of hacktivists acting under the banner, "Anonymous," has warned a church with a controversial history that unspoken retribution will follow it continues its practice of inflammatory protests.

"In an open letter to the Westboro Baptist Church, Anonymous has put the anti-gay, fundamentalist church on notice that "the damage incurred will be irreversible," and that "neither your institution nor your congregation will ever be able to fully recover." "

For the full article, including a full copy of the open letter by Anonymous, visit:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-501465_162-20033942-501465.html