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"If they come here to Louisiana, if they try to disrupt this funeral, we're going to lock them up," Jindal said. "We're going to arrest them. They shouldn't try that in Louisiana. We won't abide by that here. Let these families grieve. Let them celebrate their daughters, their children, their spouses, their loved ones' lives in peace. They better not try that nonsense here."

Read More Here (http://www.wafb.com/story/29635938/jindal-westboro-baptist-church-members-will-be-locked-up-if-they-protest-funerals)

My take - ah, the face of the right wing censorship comes full forward. Apparently, when tasteless, disgusting behavior is done by the likes of Pam Gellar towards Muslims it's perfectly protected free speech. But when a hateful group like Westboro does their thing, it's immoral. And let the right wing hypocrisy begin.

And for the record, I have no problem with either Geller or Westboro disgusting tactics because free speech is free speech is free speech !

The beauty of the 1st Amendment is everyone gets their fair share. At the same time, no one likes these (*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)s and if they get arrested I honestly won't care because I nor anyone else will lose any sleep over it.

This is what the group of Christian lawyers want... to sue people for taking away their right to protest, their free speech rights..... it's how they support themselves

No one likes them, but not much you can do about them in a free country... same with the kkk, is Jindal gonna arrest them too? if he doesn't arrest them... does that mean he supports them... this is the catch 22

You either support everyone having the same rights or you pick and choose... sense Jindal is picking and choosing, then that means if he allows the kkk, he choose to allow it

My guess is Jindal drew this red line in the sand and will let them walk right over it....

Denying the oppressor a platform from which to speak is a revolutionary act.

I believe in free speech, therefore I must do everything within my power to deny an audience and a platform to those who would see it taken away. This is so often seen as hypocritical. Tell me, is a doctor a hypocrite for killing cancer to save a life?

I don't advocate for the use of physical force or violence to stop these people from believing what they do or voicing it in their own personal property or whatever venue they might create. What I do advocate for is taking every single noncoercive measure possible to stop them. All it takes to kill fascism a little bit more is for you to assert your right to not provide a platform or an audience to fascists. If you don't listen to them and you don't let them speak to you, you deny them a vector from which to infect other minds.

And there goes any support I ever had for Jindal, the guy is clearly a clown who doesn't support the Constitution. Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I hope he is never again elected to public office unless he changes parties to better reflect his un-American attitudes...

Hold on, only the government is banned from interfering in your right to freedom of speech if I'm not mistaken.

In any case people are just sick of their (*)(*)(*)(*).

Westboro Church announced several days ago that they would picket the funerals of those murdered by Russel Houser.

Houser wrote that WBC was the only real church left in America.

Lets see if it actually happens.

And who's the fascists here? Those expressing distasteful views, or those trying to arrest them for their views?

and this is their Christian beliefs... so it also interferes with their religious freedoms

so you are ok with censorship. Got it.

I would imagine he would if they showed up at a black persons funeral chanting "God hates ni**ers"...what do you think?


I would be ok with their church burning to the ground with every one of them in it! If they want to protest then fine...do it on a street corner, not at a funeral of someone they do not even know full of grieving family members, disgusting pieces of trash!

He may feel there exists that statutory authority to arrest under Louisiana law. I am interested in looking at the statute first before I prejudge. The truth is that there are statutory and regulatory limitations on free speech and assembly that the courts have determined to be constitutional. Maybe he has one. The arrests are likely to sort this out,as judges begin to see the suspects and the charges and does a little legal research. The arrest examination is part of the clarifying process in law.

They have a right to protest like any other group.

Sit down and shut up, Bobby!

I don't like what WBC does, but to threaten to arrest them is just as bad.

The Supreme Court already ruled on Westboro, they can still protest outside a buffer zone between them and the funeral legally. I believe La. has such a law that implements a buffer zone, and if it's violated the demonstrators are subject to arrest.

I didn't say anything about censorship. I basically just said I don't give a (*)(*)(*)(*) what happens to them and whether they get arrested or not the world is gonna move on and keep spinning.

Some people are under a misconception that we have a right to protect anywhere and any place we like. This is not the case. We can not protest on private property without the owner's permission. Protests must also meet the "time, place, manner" concept. Personally, I feel that protesting funerals (any funeral) is the lowest of low.

I agree with you,and what exactly are they protesting at a funeral?

These people have no grievances...they simply show up to agitate people in mourning! They're trash!

If they're told that they have no business intruding upon someone else's event and do it anyway, that's their own fault.

And when they inevitably get treated like trash....well.....not our problem.

May be. But they can take out their protest marches in public. They can't try that inside private property, where a private function is being conducted. For once, I agree with Bobby Jindal. These nuts needs to be locked up. They have caused a huge lot of mental agony to grieving families during the past few years. Time has come to end this.

its always tricky to word this statutes in such a way that courts see them as tolerant of the essential right to protest or express themselves, yet still achieve a legitimate government aim of maintaining civil order, and the rights of others.

Really folks, how loud do you want your neighbors to blare their stereos on their property at 3 am without a cop telling them to turn it down? Do you really care that the lyrics include social or political commentary?

agree, if the funeral is held on private property and not public property you are correct

"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."

no one likes this group or their beliefs, but they have the same constitutional rights the rest of us have... as long as they break no laws, not much Jindal can do sadly

Until its a member of "your" family.

Yes, as long as they break no laws. However, there are many laws on the books that prevent people from protesting whenever and where ever they want. For instance, the protest must be peaceful and they can not incite imminent lawlessness. They often must also obtain permits if the assembly is to be conducted on public property.

they're entitled to say what they want where they want. they arent doing anything illegal or holding up traffic. don't be such effeminate pussies.

Never seen anyone try it.... I think some people would be willing to do the time for the crime of assault if they did... but I do not think the cops could do anything about it accept arrest the assaulter

I don't know if the Hell's Angels are going to counter protest this or not. If they do I cordially invite all of you Constitutionalists to go down and argue free speech with them

They are a group of lawyers, they seem to always stay just within the law.... that is the problem with taking any action against them

What they seem to be doing is trying to legally push peoples buttons until they act emotionally and give them reason to sue imo

Because they are a Religious group, they then can invest everything tax free and go on living their lives well off....

You should give a (*)(*)(*)(*) if they get arrested because it is a violation of free speech. Otherwise, don't complain if someone who doesn't like you prevents you from speaking your mind.

The term is "fighting words" and it is not protected under the Constitution as free speech. Protesters can be arrested if they display signs with wording that is design to incite.

if that were the case tea parties would of been arrest in the droves.... can you name one arrested for in incitement sign.... do not think that is easy to prove in court

as most protests often incite the other side that disagrees with them

It would depend on where and how the protest was conducted.

I'll do that right after you explain how westboro is in the right to the same Hell's Angels.


I doubt that is going to happen...he doesn't go around chanting "God hates F*gs" at strangers funerals.

That's not the point - the idea of Free Speech is to protect people from having their voices silenced simply on the grounds that it offends or bothers another person/group. The WBC is the essence of hate and bigotry, but their right to be hateful bigots is the greatest thing about America and Free Speech.

Nah, my family's smart enough to avoid being this idiotic.

And the gov through this statement alone has already threatened to deny them free speech by threatening to arrest them if they protest there... he did not say you can protest, but if you break the law we will arrest you, he said, if you protest we will arrest you

I'm very aware it would be a violation of free speech. But if we never heard from them again I'd be okay with that, most people would. Of course they're free to speak their minds, so is everyone else who will be less than welcoming of their mere existence.

So yeah, I actually DO take the good with the bad, and so should they.

Still.. it would be fun to throw rotten eggs at them.

Their rhetoric is not protected by the constitution!


How is your family going to avoid having a funeral?Are you all going to be cremated?

Oh, hush. This is not a constitutional issue on any level. This is an act to enrage, hurt and probably profit from the untimely deaths of people whom are strangers to them.
They have no real business there. Other than to rabble rouse and cause anguish.
I have no respect or sympathy for them and if a group of Americans lined up in front of them and shot everyone of them down. I would not blink an eye.

lol, yeah, I would have to resit buying tomatoes to toss at them as it would be too tempting and I would probably be arrested for assault of something and they are not worth me getting a criminal record

Maybe they can call a judge in Lafayette and find out in advance much the fine would be for pelting the WBC folks with eggs and tomatoes.... then bombs away!

I would donate to pay the fines.

You grossly misstate the point in your OP, and now here again. No one is denying WBC their "freedom of speech". They are denying their ability to conduct it on private property, and/or on state property where it is seen as disruptive to the stated public use of that property. You have a right to visit a cemetery, for whatever reason, so long as you conduct yourself there in a manner that is OK with the owners of the cemetery. You can visit such as the US Capital, and the WH, so long as you do not interfere with the conduct of business there. You can't go into a Congressional hearing and start protesting and be expected to be allowed to stay. None of that is a violation of "free speech".

Disrupting a funeral isn't freedom of speech.

If I took a boom box into a movie theater and held it over my head playing Taylor Swift at max volume during the film would that be free speech?

Jindal did the right thing by letting these ass-clowns know to take their freak-show elsewhere.

And if we're going to talk acts of censorship you know very well that the left wing has a bout a million mile lead on that whole endeavor.

Good Grief! A funeral is a meeting of friends and family to celebrate the life of their dead loved one. It has ZERO to do with the disposal of the remains.

Good Grief!

Even cremated folks have funerals. Or not. It's totally irrelevant.


That would be assault. Be prepared to go to jail.

All the WBC protests I've seen lately have been nothing but people standing around with vulgar signs. They seem to have learned to keep their mouths shut. Nothing but signs.

LOL....it looks like Jindal has got himself a 1st Amendment sanctuary state.

I think what we need to do is have funerals on private land, private land owners can exclude these people from protesting on their land and arrest them for trespassing

No...cremated people have memorials at the funeral home or a church, they don't have "funerals" at a graveyard which is where the WBC protest, I've have personally paid for 2 of them, my father and brother-in-law!

You should read what I was responding to in context before starting your "Good Grief" session.

I would love to say 'Rock on, Jindal! Go for it!' but he can't do that. Well, he could, but more $$$ for WBC b/c they'd take this to court and win.........

In some small town in Alabama or somewhere in the South... the WBC arrived to picket the funeral of a soldier so the towns people blocked them leaving the motel with their cars and there wasn't a cop in sight.. LOL

There's more than one way to skin a cat.

Politicians always go on about their rights. And I do mean their rights, not yours not the WBC, just theirs.

I agree, but unfortunately they have a right to protest funerals. That's why those motorcycle dudes called the Patriot Guards are there, running a buffer b/t the funeral ceremony and those cockroaches. The court ruled that the WBC has to stay a certain distance from the funeral site........

One of these days the vigilantes will raise their angry little heads and the WBC will probably be no more....... that stuff happens.

Good for the townspeople and the cops. Do what you can legally to stop their sadistic, depraved crap......

In a town in Oklahoma their tires were slashed and no one in town would repair them, they wound up towing it to a wal-mart on a wrecker.

How many times have dictators have used that exact same argument to take the rights of minorities? "If you don't listen to them and you don't let them speak to you, you deny them a vector from which to infect other minds." Just replace "them" with the minority group of your choice (muslims, jews, homosexuals, etc.) and you see how dangerous this is.

agree, these Christians have as much right to speak as any other minority group

we may not like it, but they still have the right

People choose to be hateful fascists. The situations aren't nearly similar. You can't just say "Yeah, but if the situation was completely different it would be bad", because the exact point is that it's this situation.

There's a difference between going "You're bigoted and cruel, and I refuse to support you." and saying "You have this arbitrary trait, so I hate you."