Soldier Funeral Picketers Slammed In Court
Oct 31st, 2007 by Shaun Carter
The father of a fallen Marine Lance Cpl. who served in Iraq sued the founders of the Westboro Baptist Church and was awarded almost $11 Million in compensatory and punitive damages.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Westboro Baptist Church, they organize pickets at the funeras of fallen United States service members with signs saying “God Hates Fags”, “Thank God For Dead Soldiers”, “Thank God For IED’s” and routinely sing “God Hates America” to the tune of God Bless America. This church believes that the soldiers dying in Iraq and Afghanistan are being punished by god for America’s “tolerance of gays homosexuality.”
Now, everyone in this country is entitled to their opinion but to picket a funeral and disgrace a fallen soldier is absolutely intolerable and I’m elated that the court ruled against this extremist religious organization. Whether or not one agrees with the war, a picket at a funeral is unforgivable.
The judgment is considerably higher than the net worth of the defendants, Fred Phelps and his two daughters. I hope that their wages are garnished and assets seized until the judgment is satisfied and that their organization is shuttered permanently.
Technorati Tags: fred phelps, funeral pickets, soldier funeral, marine, iraq war, westboro, hate crime, extreme religion, shaun carter
