Jury awards father $11M in funeral case

[Saltmeister]

Originally Posted by greymare

Regardless of what you think about the war in Iraq and regardless on your views on Homosexuality, to invade a funeral is disgusting. A families grief is personal and in my view is no way a public affair. This kind of demonstrating is insulting to the family and the deceased (regardless of how he died).

Extremists will be extremists. I don't think there's anything we can do to convince them it's wrong. These people want to prove they're smart, intelligent and normal and they think that's what they are so what are we to do about it? They want to be heard.

Originally Posted by greymare

Quite frankly these people(demonstraters) need to be locked up. I know that in america people are allowed to have their free speech, so are we here is Australia but if that went on over here, those demonstraters would have been hospitalized.

Racism is condemned in America, but it seems that there are no laws to criminalise political/religious/ideological/cultural vilification, unlike what happened here with the Catch The Fires ministries.

Originally Posted by greymare

Fair dinkum, you guys have really blown me away on this one.

Ah, you're Australian. G'day to you!!!!

Originally Posted by greymare

Here we dont go on national tv and tell our spouse we are having an affair with their partners best friends,bisexual, interracial crossdressing father. We go to the pub , tell our mates, get beat up by some well meaning interferer and then go home and apologise. or just leave. eithere way, is better than on national tv.

I remember a few weeks ago there was some "Wife Swap" show. I never really watched it, just saw glimpses of it. Can't recall if it was Australian or American.

Just last night . . . the "Spy Shop: Keeping Australia Safe" show. A kid who goes around spying on people follows some guy and finds out that the guy he was following went home to have sex with his mother, who had, recently, split up with his dad. He and the guy aren't so fussed about it. The guy he followed was rather good-humoured about it and the kid -- he thought it was pretty funny, exposing personal family matters. The mother is furious, yelling for him to get out, leave them and take the camera with him.

I don't know if it was fictional (just an act) or if it's actually real life. The Green Guide says it's a comedy series . . . so . . . hmmmm.

We have had Jerry Springer here too actually. It was on one or two years ago. Yeah . . . rather fun to watch.

. . . and what about Big Brother?

We get quite a few foreign sex shows around here . . . in Victoria. You're in Queensland, so . . . I don't know what you're getting over there.

[greymare]

oh we get the "reality tv shows" big brother, idol and all those. I dont think much of them. Jerry springer was a laugh (surely they werent serious) I mean if you want to yell at someone you really dont have to take your shirt off to do it..!!!!!!! never heard of the spy show... actuallly the only "real" show I like is Worlds Deadliest Catch. you know the crab fishin show. Awesome. and police chasers adn dumbest criminals etc.... I wouldnt know anything about sex shows.LOL

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by greymare

first of all this kind of demonstration brings out all the "only in america..." syndrome. Regardless of what you think about the war in Iraq and regardless on your views on Homosexuality, to invade a funeral is disgusting. A families grief is personal and in my view is no way a public affair. This kind of demonstrating is insulting to the family and the deceased (regardless of how he died). Quite frankly these people(demonstraters) need to be locked up. I know that in america people are allowed to have their free speech, so are we here is Australia but if that went on over here, those demonstraters would have been hospitalized. Fair dinkum, you guys have really blown me away on this one.

Unfortunately, a military funeral is public. In fact, any funeral, that is not relegated to a private home and a private burial plot, is public. And in the United States, anyone can say anything they wish (there comes a price when the rights of one encroach upon the rights of another, as is in this case). However, it should also be known that this case has been brought to an appeals court, and will most likely be overturned.

v/r

Q

[greymare]

Im sorry I still dont like it. They should show some respect for the family of the deceased. About the money factor. I have no opinion on that.

[I, Brian]

Westboro were featured on a UK program - Louis Theroux - and from what we could see, it's basically some old grandad exercising aggressive control over his large family, so they must do what he says, or else. Once he goes, there won't be much left of Westboro as a church IMO.

[cyberpi]

As an American I am far more ashamed of the grieving man who sued the WBC, the judge, and the jurors, than I am of the heckling WBC itself. While I find that the WBC repeatedly breaks one of the ten commandments by using God's name in vain, and that heckling at a funeral or other public service may be worthy of removal and rebuke, it was the grieving man who sued the WBC, the judge, and the jurors, who are now guilty of a hate crime. If the WBC does incite others towards hate then shame on the grieving father, the judge, and the jurors, for being so low to the ground that they were incited to this hate with mere words. Shame on them. I'd rather have the WBC in my home than the man who sued them, the judge, or the jurors... and I personally have found nothing to agree within anything the WBC has said. Shame on those who sued the taunting WBC... I hope their hate crime, injustice, anti-American, and anti-Christian method of dealing with the WBC is sharply rebuked by both the public and the government.

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by cyberpi

As an American I am far more ashamed of the grieving man who sued the WBC, the judge, and the jurors, than I am of the heckling WBC itself. While I find that the WBC repeatedly breaks one of the ten commandments by using God's name in vain, and that heckling at a funeral or other public service may be worthy of removal and rebuke, it was the grieving man who sued the WBC, the judge, and the jurors, who are now guilty of a hate crime. If the WBC does incite others towards hate then shame on the grieving father, the judge, and the jurors, for being so low to the ground that they were incited to this hate with mere words. Shame on them. I'd rather have the WBC in my home than the man who sued them, the judge, or the jurors... and I personally have found nothing to agree within anything the WBC has said. Shame on those who sued the taunting WBC... I hope their injustice, anti-American, and anti-Christian ways are sharply rebuked by both the public and the government.

He sued because he felt his rights were violated, because his family could not even have the dignity of burying their kin with respect. That is why it is called a civil action suit. He sued becuase someone had to stand up and say "this is wrong." One's rights end at the tip of another's nose.

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Q

[cyberpi]

Originally Posted by Quahom1

He sued because he felt his rights were violated, because his family could not even have the dignity of burying their kin with respect. That is why it is called a civil action suit. He sued becuase someone had to stand up and say "this is wrong." One's rights end at the tip of another's nose.

v/r

Q

Right, so if someone says something disrespectful to you at your wedding or a family funeral then you think you've got the right to punch them in the nose or worse: to sue them for $11 million dollars. Why not just kill them? That'll shut them up. That'll teach the world the hate.

[Muslimwoman]

Gosh can you imagine the pain you must feel having to bury your child and then to have hate mongers shouting obsenities at you while you're doing it - that's gotta make you hurt real bad.

Sue them for every last penny so they don't have the funds to fly to any more funerals. These boys are dying for their country, no matter the politics of the war, they wear their uniform with pride and die to protect others. Let them rest in peace and their families grieve.

[cyberpi]

If I wanted to live where pride and military respect were worshipped, with the filthy mouthy dissidents against the county silenced... I'd move to Iran. Have you been to Iran Muslimwoman?

[wil]

Originally Posted by cyberpi

Have you been to Iran Muslimwoman?

There are millions of folks awaiting revolution in that country as well. I've spoke to a number online. Yes it is oppressive over there, what can you expect. Is there a country the US hasn't meddled in that hasn't gone haywire. We didn't like there marxist gov't aligned with the ruskies so we put in our shah...pendelum swung back and the mullahs moved in, much to our chagrine, and now we've decided to make some figurehead a national hero and international player getting the world to listen to rhetoric he's been spewing in the back rooms for years. Shoulda left them alone five decades ago, shoulda left them alone and not backed Sadam 3 decades ago, what exists there now has US fingerprints on it, we planted the gun. From what I've seen it is a country that has plenty of beauty, and maybe if we don't meddle it'll find its own way out, but meddle we will. Have you been there cyberpi?

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by cyberpi

Right, so if someone says something disrespectful to you at your wedding or a family funeral then you think you've got the right to punch them in the nose or worse: to sue them for $11 million dollars. Why not just kill them? That'll shut them up. That'll teach the world the hate.

Because sometimes the only way to get a hateful person's attention is to hit them in the pocket book, not the nose...

And what the father did was not hateful, by a long shot. What he did was call those being slanderous and liable to task. He asked a judge to decide (not himself). There is after all a commandment that states we are not to bear or bring false witness against others. And there is a commandment that states we will install fair judges on matter we can not reasonably resolve between ourselves.

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Q

[Quahom1]

Originally Posted by cyberpi

If I wanted to live where pride and military respect were worshipped, with the filthy mouthy dissidents against the county silenced... I'd move to Iran. Have you been to Iran Muslimwoman?

I'd prefer to live where pride and military respect are honored and filty mouthy dissidents against the country can speak their mind, but not at the expense of the grieving, for one who gave up their life in order for all to have the freedom to speak their mind.

There is a time and a place for everything.

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Q

[cyberpi]

Originally Posted by Quahom1

Because sometimes the only way to get a hateful person's attention is to hit them in the pocket book, not the nose...

And what the father did was not hateful, by a long shot. What he did was call those being slanderous and liable to task. He asked a judge to decide (not himself). There is after all a commandment that states we are not to bear or bring false witness against others. And there is a commandment that states we will install fair judges on matter we can not reasonably resolve between ourselves.

v/r
Q

The hate is in the man with the wounded pride and the judge and jury that awarded his PRIDE $11 million. What method will be used now to teach the man with the wounded pride, the judge, and the jury that their way is nothing but retributive? Sue the people for $11 million over their words as you would that other people sue you for $11 million over your words.

[cyberpi]

Originally Posted by Quahom1

I'd prefer to live where pride and military respect are honored and filty mouthy dissidents against the country can speak their mind, but not at the expense of the grieving, for one who gave up their life in order for all to have the freedom to speak their mind.

There is a time and a place for everything.

v/r
Q

Good thing Jesus had a sword so that he could speak his mind... yet give up his life so that I could speak mine.

SHAME to that wounded retributive pride, unjust judge, and jury.