I doubt anyone who comments here would actually take their side (although if you do, I would LOVE to hear that point of view), but I wonder where you stand on the issue of free speech. I believe in free speech, even for douche bags, but I think any right can be taken to an unhealthy extent. I'm all in favor of it for things like public forums, meetings, and web pages, but I also think the lower courts were right to a) outlaw the intentional infliction of emotional distress, and b) agree that their protests outside cemetaries when families are trying to lay a deceased relative to rest crossed that line from freedom of expression to abuse. To the best of my knowledge, none of the Westboronians has claimed they tripped and, when they stood up, discovered they were holding a sign praising IED's and screaming hateful epithets about the Jews (maybe they're gay too).
So, what do you think? Should they be stripped naked, flayed with chainsaws, boiled in alcohol and then set on fire, or should we suck their eyeballs out with plastic spoons, fill their eye sockets with slugs, and then feed then feet first into a wood chipper? Or should we get
11 comments:
I'm all for the flaying. Can we combine that somehow with the eyeball/slug thing? That would be awesome.
i think free speech issues usually are used to bash people on the head with some shithead`s opinion or behaviour.
i`m free to speak unless, as a white male, i comment on gay, feminist or other politically correct issues that only liberals are smart and educated enough to comment on.
so, free speech=censorship in my book.
regarding the aforementioned dickbags....hunt them like vermin.
Free speech is for everyone, no exceptions. However, douchebaggery gets douchebaggery in return, and so I would be entirely willing to whip out the spoons and do some stabbing on those pricks.
They tread a very fine line, and I've always thought that a small Delta Force team should just sneak into their homes in the middle of the night and make them disappear.
Free speech is a good thing.
And sometimes, so is boot to the head.
Pearl
I think we should officially declare them a group of gay atheist performance artists and leave them alone. Them being gay atheist performance artists is the only thing that explains everything they do - the rainbow colors on the posters, the hellbent determination to make Christianity look bad - it all fits.
Then, when you do a news story on one of their protests - I mean, performances, the lead would be "Gay Atheist Performance Art Troupe - The Westboro Baptist Church - gave another performance today." When Phelps and Co. objected, you would respond - "Hey, you have free speech, we got free speech - now run along and listen to your Liza Minelli tapes, you silly old queens!"
Love Gib's idea.
I would recommend that the eyeballs be only partly pulled out and they can still feel their eyeballs when we throw glitter mixed with pepper on said eyeballs.
Ditto for other balls if they have any.
I like 'cruel and unusual' I rely on your imagination. Have to agree that 'free speech' can go too far - but drawing the line can be dangerous. Oh well, not my problem thank goodness.
Free speech allows protesting of any sort, unless you incite violence. but it DOES NOT protect you from angry retribution if you cross the line. So, even if the Westboro ppl are really hateful (and they have come to my town on numerous occasions in New Brunswick, NJ), we cannot use the power of the law to shut them up. HOWEVER there are other routes such as banning them from local businesses, or mob justice if they really do piss off enough people. (Yes, businesses do have more power to refuse customers than government establishments.) However, even if you did punch one of these Westboro slags in the face, they would just go down as being a martyr and no doubt preach it as proof of the evils of our society.
I think the free speech should be rewritten to say "intelligent" free speech. That is just BS!
I think they are a bunch of idiots and should not be taken seriously but they have the right of free speech to a point. I don't think they should get too close to the funerals of the dead soldiers and drag the families into their stupid ideology. and then part of me does not mind if they are thrown into a situation like we see in the Saw films.
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