Bellevue (Ne) pays funeral protesters (Westboro Baptist Church)

Source: Omaha World Herald-AP

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Bellevue has paid a member of a Kansas church that protests at soldiers’ funerals $17,000. In exchange, Shirley Phelps-Roper has dropped her lawsuit against the city.

The settlement with Westboro Baptist Church, which says troop deaths are punishment for the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality, was signed last week.

The church says it shows that responding to public anger by taking action against it costs taxpayers.

City attorney Michael Polk didn’t respond to a message seeking comment.

Read more: http://www.omaha.com/article/20100727/NEWS97/707289937#bellevue-pays-funeral-protesters

folks into committing legally but not morally objectionable infractions.

Just sayin

it's going to be lead poisoning, hastily administered through the cranium. They're going to go to one soldier's funeral too many, and all hell will break loose on these asshats. I just hope nobody 'sees' anything.

If they ever pulled that in NY, they would disappear so fast it wouldn't be funny.

They "protested" at synagogues and Jewish schools in Great Neck on Long Island & at the funeral of a murdered Yale grad student who was engaged to a Jewish man. They have threatened to show at military funerals too . There are no words for how contemptible they are.

Take away their tax free status.

with WBC that couldn't be cured by an angry mob wielding pitch forks, torches and some rope.

While I think The WBC are a bunch of fucking narrow minded idiots, I do support the courts ruling in this case.

WBC was accused of mutilating an American flag which was, at the time, a violation of a law against mutilating the American flag.

The law was ruled unconstitutional. Thus they were awarded a settlement, under the reason that it was a violation of free speech.

Various people burn, mutilate, etc the American flag and it is protected under the first amendment as free speech.

Regardless of these stupid bastards stand against Gay rights, they are still protected under the first amendment.

Voltaire said it best, "I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend your right to say it".

Cuts both ways folks. Rights are rights, even though they are being taken away from us daily. And it's Jackasses like the WBC to whom we must fight the hardest for in order to preserve our rights.

The Constitution applies to everyone, not just those to which we agree.

somewhere/somehow common decency has to trump their "right" to free speech.

Beyond that, they are just another right wing crazy ass cult with good lawyers.

they AGREED with. The test of free speech is allowing speech you disagree with.

I live not too far from these f'ing idiots' homebase and I have encountered them several times over the years.

The best defense is probably ridicule. Counter-demonstrate with men dressed up as ballerinas dancing around. Carry giant phalluses and block their demonstration. Photoshop Old Man Phelps hog-tied and gang-banged by Nazis and blow it up to poster size . . . anything to offend THEM and give them back some of their own medicine.