Isn't it interesting that when Phelps was exclusively attacking gays no one ever would have proposed this law? I've been reading up on this guy for a while now and he really is certifiable. The message is pure unadulterated hate, and Phelps has no qualms about admitting it.

However: banning these kinds of protests will surely not be constitutional, and more I think it would be bad for those who share liberal humanist values. Men like Phelps and his mansonesque christian cult family need to be put right out there in the open for all to see. When he exclusively attacked gays and other "morally deficient" people its like the media and government tried to keep him and his beliefs in the closet (excuse the pun).

While its obvious that there is still a lot of fear and hate of gays in America, I think the majority of the mainstream in this country would find his message just as reprehensible as you or I would, now especially that he is attacking soldiers who sacrificed their lives. Hiding them in their little hate filled commune only hurts the cause of enlightening the rest of the country how ugly Phelps' churches goals are. This can be easily translatable to the other churches who also push for bans on gay rights.

I just think that its a fight worth fighting. I guess it might seem different if I was placed in the situation where my loved one was being protested by this maniac. Ideally Id like to think if I was, the good of putting this fanatic out for public ridicule in order to catalyze change would be worth it, however losing a loved one and having their funeral attacked will do strange things to even the most idealistic among us.

Legally, I think that it’s good to ban them. I think all people should be free to grieve without dealing with nutjobs. They can protest from a distance – no real restriction on their speech.

The problem, as I pointed out, is that the response came only when certain funerals were protested, which means that they’re going after the content of the message.

In other words, our leaders didn’t have too much of a problem with the message when it was directed at gays who died. They only got tired of Phelps when he changed tactics.