And the People Said "Amen"
I am not against Free speech, nor am I against people having the right to their religious view points, no matter how misguided and totally inaccurate to the message of the faith they claim to be a part of.
However it does my heart good to see that there are people in the world who agree that just because you are entitled to your opinion, it doesn't mean you have the right to disturb other people with it, and you should be held accountable when you violate peoples private moments.
See below
BALTIMORE (Reuters) - A jury on Wednesday ordered an anti-gay Kansas church to pay $10.9 million in damages to relatives of a U.S. Marine who died in Iraq after church members cheered his death at his funeral.
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Church members said Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder's death was God's punishment of America for tolerating homosexuality, and they attended his 2006 funeral in Maryland with signs saying "You're going to hell" and "God hates you."
The federal jury determined the Westboro Baptist Church, based in Topeka, and three of its principals invaded the privacy of the dead man's family and inflicted emotional distress.
Albert Snyder, the Marine's father, testified that his son was not gay, but the church targeted the military as a symbol of America's tolerance of gays. Matthew Snyder died in combat in Iraq in March 2006.
The jury awarded Snyder's family $2.9 million in compensatory damages plus $8 million in punitive damages in the first civil suit against the church, which has demonstrated at some 300 military funerals the past two years.
The lawsuit said church Web sites vilified U.S. soldiers, accusing them of being indoctrinated by "fag propaganda."
"I hope it's enough to deter them from doing this to other families. It was not about the money. It was about getting them to stop," said Snyder, of York, Pennsylvania.
The church, which is unaffiliated with any major denomination, is headed by Rev. Fred Phelps, who has led a campaign against homosexuality for years. Most of the estimated 70 members of the church belong to his extended family.
"It will take the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals a few minutes to reverse this silly thing," Phelps said.
His daughter and co-defendant, Shirley Phelps-Roper, vowed to continue protesting military funerals and called the court's decision a blow against free speech.
Outside court on Wednesday, Phelps and his children waved placards with slogans such as "Pray for more dead kids" and "God hates fag enablers," while passing drivers and pedestrians shouted abuse at them.
Defense attorney Jonathan Katz urged jurors not to award punitive damages because the $2.9 million in compensatory damages was already three times the defendants' net worth.
"It's enough already to bankrupt them and financially destroy them," Katz said.
Craig Trebilcock, an attorney for Snyder, said jurors should award sufficient punitive damages to deter Westboro from repeating its actions.
Work sucks, and I am completely over my job. I don't agree with a lot what I have to do on a moral level and I know the money isn't worth what I do. So, I am going to have another job by the first of the year if it kills me. (Or at least a few good leads.)
Pretty sure I flunked a Math Test Tonight. Been so sick over the last week, I completely didn't have the time to get the studying I needed to in. But at least he drops the lowest..
However it does my heart good to see that there are people in the world who agree that just because you are entitled to your opinion, it doesn't mean you have the right to disturb other people with it, and you should be held accountable when you violate peoples private moments.
See below
BALTIMORE (Reuters) - A jury on Wednesday ordered an anti-gay Kansas church to pay $10.9 million in damages to relatives of a U.S. Marine who died in Iraq after church members cheered his death at his funeral.
ADVERTISEMENT
Church members said Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder's death was God's punishment of America for tolerating homosexuality, and they attended his 2006 funeral in Maryland with signs saying "You're going to hell" and "God hates you."
The federal jury determined the Westboro Baptist Church, based in Topeka, and three of its principals invaded the privacy of the dead man's family and inflicted emotional distress.
Albert Snyder, the Marine's father, testified that his son was not gay, but the church targeted the military as a symbol of America's tolerance of gays. Matthew Snyder died in combat in Iraq in March 2006.
The jury awarded Snyder's family $2.9 million in compensatory damages plus $8 million in punitive damages in the first civil suit against the church, which has demonstrated at some 300 military funerals the past two years.
The lawsuit said church Web sites vilified U.S. soldiers, accusing them of being indoctrinated by "fag propaganda."
"I hope it's enough to deter them from doing this to other families. It was not about the money. It was about getting them to stop," said Snyder, of York, Pennsylvania.
The church, which is unaffiliated with any major denomination, is headed by Rev. Fred Phelps, who has led a campaign against homosexuality for years. Most of the estimated 70 members of the church belong to his extended family.
"It will take the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals a few minutes to reverse this silly thing," Phelps said.
His daughter and co-defendant, Shirley Phelps-Roper, vowed to continue protesting military funerals and called the court's decision a blow against free speech.
Outside court on Wednesday, Phelps and his children waved placards with slogans such as "Pray for more dead kids" and "God hates fag enablers," while passing drivers and pedestrians shouted abuse at them.
Defense attorney Jonathan Katz urged jurors not to award punitive damages because the $2.9 million in compensatory damages was already three times the defendants' net worth.
"It's enough already to bankrupt them and financially destroy them," Katz said.
Craig Trebilcock, an attorney for Snyder, said jurors should award sufficient punitive damages to deter Westboro from repeating its actions.
Work sucks, and I am completely over my job. I don't agree with a lot what I have to do on a moral level and I know the money isn't worth what I do. So, I am going to have another job by the first of the year if it kills me. (Or at least a few good leads.)
Pretty sure I flunked a Math Test Tonight. Been so sick over the last week, I completely didn't have the time to get the studying I needed to in. But at least he drops the lowest..