Gay marriage continues to threaten society...

[Beckys_Mom]

I'm not trying to be sarcastic, Honestly you're reading into something tha isn't there. you're my friend. I would never yell at you or intentionally try and hurt your feelings. that's the honest truth

Ok..thank you for the explaination and apology...I very much appreciate it....I really did think you were just having a pop at me LOL and yup yelling.....but cheers mate for this Im still your friend lol

Like I said earlier concerning the conversation... There's a separation between criminal and civil law. I can't be arrested for hate speech, as long as the demonstration is peaceful. I could be sued later in civil court for harrassment due to the hate speech. In which a jury may or may not find me guilty. I would not go to jail for this. I would be ordered to pay a settlement. No crime committed. do you understand? Lets look at the O.J. murder trial. He wasn't convicted of a crime in federal court, but both families sued successfully in civil court causing him to pay a substancial amount of money. However, he was never convicted of a crime. See the difference?

I never said you could be arrested for spouting hate speeches....I dont even think Fred Phelps was arrested either lol..........

But why anyone would want to protest a funeral ........I mean.....over here it is right to show respect at a funeral......hence the reason why so many hold a 2 min silience out of respect...........but fred phelps WOW...that was so very sad to see that

here is what got me.............Their ideas behind their hate is --> American soldiers were dying because of americas tolerance towards gays!!!!!! ....I dunno why this shocks me, because, I have seen news reports on Sky News were religious rev..have stated god has sent the 9/11 for tolerance for gays in the united states.....its crazy, but thats what these kind of peiople say!!!

Technically peter.....there still is a crime commited............take another look at this

Several states have passed laws regarding funeral protests, and Congress has passed a law prohibiting such protests at federal cemeteries.But the Maryland lawsuit is believed to be the first filed by the family of a fallen serviceman.

Meaning that congress passes a law to state you cannot protest at a federals funeral..........protesting involves hate speeches....Congress does not say that you cannot stand near a funeral LOL......you can stand near a funeral...but the sec you break out and start your hate speeches..........thats when they call it breaking the laws that congress have passed

Now........dont get me wrong.............you can stand out in the streets and protest till your hearts desire lol..........unless people near by feel you are disrupting the peace and yeaa call the cops to have yo move long LOL............that does happen too.....not saying they get arrested for it.they just get moved along

Back to freedom of speech......I personally think that it can go too far......meaning people are sick of walking on egg shells..........having to watch all that you say...

but I still wouldnt do that at a funeral...im not that evil

[sam12six]

Yes but previously you did state you were bothered by it

So going on that...I just wondered why it bothered you personally?

Especially if you are not the type of person to chant hate in public..............if you se what I am saying

In Ireland...we have the same kind of laws...you have to watch your words and what you do.....it can be a pain in the backside...when it goes too far.........I am talking about other things that people used to feel free to say, but now, cant

even in the general work place..........

As I said, conduct in the workplace is subject to the dictates of the owner of that workplace (in the US). If I say something the boss doesn't like, I haven't committed a crime - their only immediate recourse to my saying something is telling me to leave. Are you sure there are laws about such things? Here, sexual harassment is against company policy everywhere, but not illegal. Yes, you can be sued for it (since we've already determined that you can sue someone for anything), but it's not against the law.

As a protection for hate demonstrations, I couldn't care less about the hate crime laws. As I said before, I don't have a dog in that fight. I've never been to a "We hate you" demonstration or a "Don't hate us" demonstration either. Pretty much wouldn't affect my life at all.

My personal concern is that the Constitution was written by men who had just attained their freedom from a tyrannical government. The specific protections the Constitutions protects like the right to assemble, right to bear arms, and freedom of speech are there specifically to keep the US government from become a tyranny exactly like the one they had just escaped.

When you abridge those rights (even for a good reason), you open a door. Whether it's tomorrow or a hundred years from now, that door is there for a would-be dictator to walk through.

Freedom of speech is there to give us the right to criticize our government and let other citizens know when that government is abusing its power.

In the example I used before, create a law that makes it an automatic year in jail to criticize the gay lifestyle (I actually hate that term since I think the only lifestyle difference is where you choose to stick it). In it's initial form it's harmless because nobody sane thinks hate speeches and demonstrations are a good thing. Now, in a congressional session imagine that they decide to add a clause to the law and now it's illegal to criticize the gay lifestyle and politicians. Such a minor change wouldn't even make the news if they did it on the down-low. Even if it did make the news, there's not a thing the public could do to stop it. That's why hate crimes scare me - because hate is pretty indefinable so the law can be "aimed" at anyone congress chooses to hit with it.

Ok..thank you for the explaination and apology...I very much appreciate it....I really did think you were just having a pop at me LOL and yup yelling.....but cheers mate for this Im still your friend lol

I never said you could be arrested for spouting hate speeches....I dont even think Fred Phelps was arrested either lol..........

But why anyone would want to protest a funeral ........I mean.....over here it is right to show respect at a funeral......hence the reason why so many hold a 2 min silience out of respect...........but fred phelps WOW...that was so very sad to see that

here is what got me.............Their ideas behind their hate is --> American soldiers were dying because of americas tolerance towards gays!!!!!! ....I dunno why this shocks me, because, I have seen news reports on Sky News were religious rev..have stated god has sent the 9/11 for tolerance for gays in the united states.....its crazy, but thats what these kind of peiople say!!!

Technically peter.....there still is a crime commited............take another look at this

Several states have passed laws regarding funeral protests, and Congress has passed a law prohibiting such protests at federal cemeteries.But the Maryland lawsuit is believed to be the first filed by the family of a fallen serviceman.

Meaning that congress passes a law to state you cannot protest at a federals funeral..........protesting involves hate speeches....Congress does not say that you cannot stand near a funeral LOL......you can stand near a funeral...but the sec you break out and start your hate speeches..........thats when they call it breaking the laws that congress have passed

Now........dont get me wrong.............you can stand out in the streets and protest till your hearts desire lol..........unless people near by feel you are disrupting the peace and yeaa call the cops to have yo move long LOL............that does happen too.....not saying they get arrested for it.they just get moved along

Back to freedom of speech......I personally think that it can go too far......meaning people are sick of walking on egg shells..........having to watch all that you say...

but I still wouldnt do that at a funeral...im not that evil

I know you think I'm beating a dead horse, but this doesn't say Phelps broke this law, just that such a law exists. The article doesn't tell us - maybe the law was passed in response to this situation because something so sick SHOULD be against the law.

[Dr. Peter Venkman]

Ok..thank you for the explaination and apology...I very much appreciate it....I really did think you were just having a pop at me LOL and yup yelling.....but cheers mate for this Im still your friend lol

I never said you could be arrested for spouting hate speeches....I dont even think Fred Phelps was arrested either lol..........

But why anyone would want to protest a funeral ........I mean.....over here it is right to show respect at a funeral......hence the reason why so many hold a 2 min silience out of respect...........but fred phelps WOW...that was so very sad to see that

here is what got me.............Their ideas behind their hate is --> American soldiers were dying because of americas tolerance towards gays!!!!!! ....I dunno why this shocks me, because, I have seen news reports on Sky News were religious rev..have stated god has sent the 9/11 for tolerance for gays in the united states.....its crazy, but thats what these kind of peiople say!!!

Technically peter.....there still is a crime commited............take another look at this

Several states have passed laws regarding funeral protests, and Congress has passed a law prohibiting such protests at federal cemeteries.But the Maryland lawsuit is believed to be the first filed by the family of a fallen serviceman.

Meaning that congress passes a law to state you cannot protest at a federals funeral..........protesting involves hate speeches....Congress does not say that you cannot stand near a funeral LOL......you can stand near a funeral...but the sec you break out and start your hate speeches..........thats when they call it breaking the laws that congress have passed

Now........dont get me wrong.............you can stand out in the streets and protest till your hearts desire lol..........unless people near by feel you are disrupting the peace and yeaa call the cops to have yo move long LOL............that does happen too.....not saying they get arrested for it.they just get moved along

Back to freedom of speech......I personally think that it can go too far......meaning people are sick of walking on egg shells..........having to watch all that you say...

but I still wouldnt do that at a funeral...im not that evil

I agree with what you're saying, and I want everyone to understand here that I do not agree with phelps, or the message these types of people have. I do agree with their right to say what they want to say in a peaceful manner though. Simply because if they don't have that right, then it establishes a precedent for that right to possibly be denied to anyone. Hate speeches do go to far. But they are one side of two sided coin. A freedom Coin!!!!

As to the bolded part... It wasn't the hate speech that got him in hotwater with the feds. It was disrupting the funeral, regardless of how he disrupted it. He got into trouble in civil court for harrassment due to his rhetoric, and rightfully so, given the circumstances.

Edited April 23, 2009 by Dr. Peter Venkman

[InHuman]

Oh lord.. the de-railness.

guys, take it outside please.

[Dr. Peter Venkman]

I gotta get some sleep guys and gal. I respectfully bow out. I've said all I can say!!!

See ya late have a good one!!!!!!!

[Beckys_Mom]

EDIT...I thinks its high time we dropped this LOL

we have all said our bit lol

Edited April 23, 2009 by Beckys_Mom

[Beckys_Mom]

EDIT never mind lol

Edited April 23, 2009 by Beckys_Mom