(no subject)

[author_by_night]

Congress passes Funeral Protest Ban.

You know.... I agree this had to be. I don't think it does limit freedom of speech - protesting funerals is harassment. 

However, what annoys me is that it appears to mainly focus on the military.

I think protesting a funeral should be illegal, period. A funeral is not a political moment; it is a moment for mourners to come together and remember and grieve for someone, or several someones, they have lost.

People have also protested funerals of homosexuals and AIDS victims. Why? Why does anyone deserve to die? 

I know people with loved ones in Iraq. I have loved ones who are gay. 

If something ever happened to any of them, it makes me sick to think that we might face not being able to properly mourn, because fanatics think 
God called upon them to say, "well, they were gay/in the army/whatever, of course they deserve death!"

I don't really care what the fanatics believe. If they think homosexuality is a sin... not like anyone can stop that. 

But funerals are not about shaming the deceased. They are for Honoring the deceased and the ones they left on earth.

Allowing ignorance and harassment is not allowing Freedom of Speech; it's allowing Freedom of Hate.

Comments

[gunderpants.livejournal.com]

Amen. Hopefully someone can set a precedent against that law and make it so protesting at civilian and military funerals can be made illegal.

(Of course, I say that as someone who wholeheartedly approved of the massive protests at her former state premier's funeral: the bastard put our state under martial law and stripped us of plenty of our rights, so I think it only fair to send him off fittingly.)

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

Then that's different.

[maple-clef.livejournal.com]

I completely agree - funerals are about people, not causes.

[partly-bouncy.livejournal.com]

I think if they were going to do this, they should have done it when protesters did their thing at funerals for abortion clinic doctors. This just seems like it is supposed to protect a special group. :/ That part bothers me.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

Same here.

[stmargarets.livejournal.com]

They say that a look at a nation's laws will show its problems and anxieties. So now we've lost all decorum at funerals. Sigh. Tis sad.

[akashasheiress.livejournal.com]

Why does anyone deserve to die?

Indeed, Amy, indeed!:)

I agree heartily about the special treatment of the military. Funeral protests should always be illegal.

[newyork-noodles.livejournal.com]

Allowing ignorance and harassment is not allowing Freedom of Speech; it's allowing Freedom of Hate.

WORD. Abusing someone else's death to prove some wierd point is just so wrong!

[lebonmot.livejournal.com]

Bravo! I agree totally.

Funerals are for honoring the memory of the deceased and helping the ones still living to cherish their memories of the deceased. (That probably made no sense)

Funerals are not political causes. Protesting funerals should always be illegal.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

It made sense. :)

Yes, it is about cherishing memories andsuch. Not politics.

[ghostlygrove.livejournal.com]

I posted [and deleted] "here here"... it should be "hear hear", right?

[irised.livejournal.com]

If someone has ever had to attend a funeral themselves for anyone they know passing away, then I don't understand how they could possibly protest someone elses. You'd think surely they would understand how much hurt and pain were already there =(