Free speech is a tricky thing.
SWRNN editor Jose Arballo Jr.
We, as a society, will fight to the death – literally – to protect someone’s right to say something, even when it may not be the most popular thing.
The real trick, as conventional wisdom goes, is when the speech is something that society views as abhorrent. It is when the spoken or written words spawn feelings of anger, hate or disgust the notion of “free speech” is tested.
Such is the case now before the U.S. Supreme Court, which is deciding whether a disgusting, narrow-minded pastor leading an anti-gay Kansas-based religious group has a right to picket military funerals with signs that read, among other sick slogans, “Thank God for dead soldiers.”
The pastor’s supporters, which include many media outlets and civil rights organizations, argue the nutty pastor and his wacky church is exercising its right to free speech. Supporters of the family of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder say the church and its pastor are invading the privacy of his surviving relatives.
As the head of a media news outlet, it would be too easy to say this is a cut-and-dry case. We in the media are quick to say that free speech is absolute and that short of yelling “fire” in a crowded theater, we have to live with the type of speech that makes us uncomfortable or, in some cases, hurts us to the core.
But it’s not that simple and the answer is not that easy.
I have heard interviews with Albert Snyder, the father of the fallen Marine, and the pain in his voice is real. He is someone who has been hurt by what has been done to him and his son’s memory. It has been years since Matthew Snyder died, but the pain in his father’s voice is fresh, as if he can still see the signs that praised his son’s killing in Iraq and how God was punishing the nation for its tolerance of homosexuality.
“All we wanted to do was bury Matt in a decent, civilized way,” an emotional Snyder told reporters on the footsteps of the court after the hearing. “But Phelps’ conduct was so extreme; it’s beyond the bounds of basic human decency.”
Fred Phelps has been in the Inland Empire in the past, bringing his ugly brand of free speech to a funeral here years ago.
Free speech?
It’s only free when no one is hurt and there is no challenge.
We’ve had lots of examples of free speech controversies in Southwest Riverside County, like when a group of people stood outside the meeting place of a Temecula Muslim group chanting some pretty ugly things because they didn’t like the thought of a planned mosque. There was also the decision to remove a painting from a city-operated gallery in Temecula because the piece was considered objectionable to some.
In Menifee, some parents objected to some material in a school dictionary that was eventually removed from the classroom.
Free speech?
It’s hard, this free-speech thing. I’m torn because on one hand I encourage debate and discussion, because that is how we learn from each other. On the other hand, the things that are said can hurt, sometimes deeply. Do we raise the level of debate over illegal immigration by calling someone a “wetback” or help the discussion about Muslims by referring to those who follow that religion as “terrorists.”
Of course the answer is no. The last thing we should do is make it harder for those with whom we disagree with to say stupid things.
First Amendment advocates, including top media outlets, are watching the Snyder case closely, fearing that a negative ruling would clamp down on free expression. The Washington Post wrote in an editorial: “If Westboro’s vitriol is deemed unworthy of First Amendment protection and a private citizen can sue to silence the church — or shut it down — then everyone’s rights will be eroded.”
It’s so important to protect free speech, almost at any cost. It’s easy to say in a vacuum, when the stories and people are far away.
It’s harder when you have to see the faces of those hurt by free speech. That is when we learn the lesson that free speech is, indeed, not really free.
Jose Arballo Jr. is publisher of Southwest Riverside News Network and can be reached at 951-375-2072 or by email at jose.arballo@swrnn.com
Loading ...
These so called “Christians” are really just terrorists with a southern accent. If anyone of us yelled “bomb” on an airplane, no one would care about our right to freedom of speech, with good reason. This isn’t free speech, this is just an insult to America, Christians, our Consitution and the families of these sevice men and women. I hope God will forgive them their SINS.
DON’T KILL THE MESSENGER!
Sermon from Lloyd the Baptist
Matthew 24:35-36
“Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth NO MAN, no, not the angels of heaven, but my FATHER ONLY”
Matthew 25:13
“Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the SON of man cometh”
REMEMBER those two Bible quotes. I’ll get back to THAT later…
I give thanks and praise to the Almighty GOD, the SON JESUS, and HOLY SPIRIT… I’ve just come back from my yearly Christmas pilgrimage into the Blood of Christ mountains. I walked out of the Sangre de Cristos with a MESSAGE from the SON. The LORD GOD ALMIGHTY is NOT happy…
Search your hearts and minds for the faith to BELIEVE what I tell you is TRUE. The WRATH of GOD is about to come down on those that displease the LORD. I’m bring a WARNING for CHRISTIANS, heed the WORD of the LORD or be punished for your ignorance…
I was baptized in HOLY SPIRIT and tell you NOW… the HOLY TRINITY is in NO WAY associated with ANY of the paranoid, delusional right-wing, moralists that congregate in America’s Evangelical Christian community. An angel of GOD, surrounded with the Holy Spirit, appeared to me near the mountain top at the Holy Hot Spring.
A terrifying vision was revealed to me… the suffering and degradation of a whole generation of good Christians who were led astray by FALSE PROPHETS. Ohhh can one even imagine the PAINFUL scene of so many Christians being cast into HELL?
(Lloyd weeping)
Basically decent, hardworking Americans who were convinced that GOD was their good friend and JESUS their personal savior. Only to find out… to REALIZE they were supporting policies that came from satan himself. Holy delusions that actually fooled millions of church goers into a belief system that PRAYS FOR WAR while PRAYING AGAINST HEALTH CARE for fellow Americans and the least of their Brothers/Sisters. 47 million of them… JESUS was a healer, right?
Christians allowed themselves to be turned away from Nature and this precious environment GOD created to meet ALL our needs. While their Corporate Masters used the air and water as SEWERS and ground to bury TOXIC WASTE… Pastors were taught to demonize or make fun of cultures that cherish Nature or the Sun. Science is sent to the back of the bus. So lost in their right-wing Christian vanity… they consider themselves more intelligent than the world’s top climate scientists.
Instead of feeding the starving human beings of the world… Christians allowed their tax dollars to be used to PROVIDE WEAPONS instead. How dare you BELIEVE that JESUS was on the same side as the WAR PROFITEERS, ARMS DEALERS!
JESUS says “…satan thrives on hatred, chaos, suffering, conflict, war, destroying nature, etc. and those who PROFIT from THAT are his followers”
Back in the USA 40+MILLION Americans are struggling below the poverty level but Conservative Christian priorities are about tax cuts for the RICH and tax deductible status for churches connected to their Evangelical Associations. Listening to Pat Robertson speak out against Wall St. reform and regulation, one could get the idea these type Christians would have defended the “money changers” from JESUS.
Charity is NOT for love’s sake but a MISSION to spread their warped belief system and hatred of gays/lesbians to the poor peoples of the world.
JESUS says Christians are not using the good brain cells the FATHER blessed them with. They ignored Bible quotes above, while listening to authors of the FICTIONAL “Left Behind” books (OR John Nelson Darby) ARE YOU MORoNS CRAZY? Jumping for joy that the end is near and JESUS is on his way to take them to paradise in the clouds.
The LORD GOD ALMIGHTY says Christians will be STOPPED before they give the Neo-Cons/Republican Party enough wealth and power to hurry along Armageddon. Only GOD knows the time of Revelations prophecies, those that tell you different are false prophets leading you on the PATH TO HELL! The WRATH of GOD will soon be upon you unless YOU REPENT! Show humility and ask forgiveness for your FOOLISHNESS, LOW GRADE THOUGHT PROCESSES and SINS of the past.
After December 27, 2009 if you do not turn from the wicked ways… the very words from Christian mouths will be a plague on their daily lives. If they cast stones, they will be shown and exposed as hypocrites… If they curse their fellow man/woman the curse will come back at them. If they fail to look out for the poor, jobless, homeless, starving, physically/mentally ill or any other of the least of your brothers/sisters then fortunes will be lost and your children will know of these afflictions. If you teach hatred you shall become what you hate” (right Bishop Eddie Long)
In the name of father GOD, JESUS and the HOLY SPIRIT… So it is written, so shall it be DONE! Through the blessed mercy of JESUS CHRIST you been given this WARNING and last chance… What you do with it is up to YOU!
AMEN…
End transmission:
as posted on blog jinnbad.blogspot.com
As clearly anti Christ and disgusting as the message is, our founding fathers added a bill of rights for the protection of the people. Please note they did not give us the right to privacy. Nor should we fight misinformed and wrong people by trying to take away their freedoms. The slippery slope of limiting freedoms leads us back to tyranny. And for those citizens who would give away their freedoms to silence rude but legal behavior, I say you dishonor Matthew Snyder more than they do. Snyder is a hero who died for their freedom too, even if they are rude, inconsiderate and ungrateful.Freedom costs – unfortunately Snyders family bears that cost overwhelmingly.
This crazy family/church has the right to protest in public. Interrupting a religious ceremony such as a funeral, wedding, or church service should NOT be allowed though. The Snyder’s freedom of religion to honor their son’s life with a funeral service was taken away from them. The protesters could have simply held up their signs at another place and time.
In reply to the first comment, the Phelps family is from Kansas – they are NOT southerners… as a proud Mississippian, I have to point that out!
The love of my entire life is a U.S. Marine, and if he died, and the Phelps family did this to his memory, and to me, I would absolish their souls from this earth… afterwards, they would get to find out for themselves if their god accepts this behavior….
Our founding fathers also gave us the right to bear arms. Yet we are now prohibited from carring a gun anywere we go. Now only the criminals have guns. Well the way Fred POS Phelps disgraces both this Great Country and the great Servicemembers of the Armed Forces, he then should be considered the criminal. God tells us that he loves you and everyone. God tells us to be peaceful, yet this idiot has signs that tell us God Hates you, and thank God for dead soldiers. I am all for free speach but when it intensionaly inflicts imotional distriss then they should be held liable. Allow them to have thier say but not at our servicemembers funerals, who gave thier life for this country. Go preach your crap somewere else. NO ONE HERE WANTS YOU HERE. Get a clue you IDIOT!
I believe that Fred POS Phelps and his church are not the church of God, but the Church of the devil. Anytime someone tells you that God hates you, that is Satin talking not our Loving God.
I pray to my Great Lord that Fred POS Phelps looses.
Perhaps we are too free in this country. The wanton freedom and excesses of this culture may actually contribute to the worst aspects of our humanity: gluttony, greed, hate, and war. The media has a lot to blame for this. If they would stop covering and giving attention to idiots like Fred Phelps then they would not have a free channel for their message. This is not a free speech argument. Everyone knows free speech is essential unless you want to go back to Sharia law and kill women for adultery and beat them for not wearing the right clothing. Fred Phelps is misguided and unfortunately distasteful, hateful, mean, and unreasonable people exist. Their thoughts, however stupid, unfortunately need to be heard and debated and corrected, not muffled and suppressed. Perhaps Google will invent the human mute button that will automatically mute stupid and hateful thoughts…… still waiting.
California Penal Code section 415.(3) makes it a crime to “use offensive words in a public place which are inherently likely to invoke an immediate violent reaction.” (See exact content attached).
My father served in the Army in Vietnam, my Father in law served in the Marines in Korea, I served in the Marines when the barracks got bombed in Lebanon, and my son now proudly serves as a US Marine preparing to go to Afghanistan.
I consider free speech dear, but should my son die an honorable death serving his country and these clowns show up, I suggest you cover the funeral, because you will see an “immediate violent reaction” from our family the likes of which I can’t describe here. God Bless America and Semper Fidelis.
California Penal Code
415. Any of the following persons shall be punished by imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not more than 90 days, a fine of not more than four hundred dollars ($400), or both such imprisonment
and fine:
(3) Any person who uses offensive words in a public place which are inherently likely to provoke an immediate violent reaction.
Free speech that is based upon FACT is one thing, but to voice such a cryptic opinion which includes a personal judgement upon any group is what cuts to the core. It’s an odd thing – we are able to sue for libel, but HATE SPEECH like this goes unchecked.
Whatever the cost my countrymen, absolutely whatever the cost!!!!