Slain Marine’s Family Victimized By Court
By Wyatt Earp | March 30, 2010
Remember the Westboro Baptist Church? It’s the collection of scumbags, headed by Fred Phelps, who travel the country protesting funerals of our slain soldiers. They carry offensive signs and shout terrible things at the mourners in attendance.
Well, the Fourth Court of Appeals apparently thinks that this despicable organization has more rights than the father of a slain Marine.
The father of a Marine killed in Iraq and whose funeral was picketed by anti-gay protesters from Kansas was ordered to pay the protesters’ appeal costs, his lawyers said Monday.
On Friday, Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ordered Snyder to pay $16,510 to Fred Phelps. Phelps is the leader of Topeka’s Westboro Baptist Church, which conducted protests at Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder’s funeral in 2006.
The two-page decision supplied by attorneys for Albert Snyder of York, Pa., offered no details on how the court came to its decision.
Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder is from nearby York, PA. His father is accepting donations to take the case to the Supreme Court. If you would like to help, you can do so by clicking here.
On April 1, Phelps and his fellow animals will be here in Philly, picketing outside Temple University from 6:45-7:30pm. That should be fun, since Temple is right in the middle of the ‘hood. If there’s any justice, the counter-protesters will outnumber them ten to one.
Topics: Duct Tape Advisory, The Troops | 29 Comments »
March 30th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
AAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! WWWWWWTTTTTTTFFFFFFFF!
Oh we will definitely contribute.
March 30th, 2010 at 1:10 pm
Phelps will probably be killed on the 1st because:
1. It’s Temple.
2. It’s north Philly.
3. The natives will already be restless since the nurses at Temple are going on strike.
4. It’s Temple.
March 30th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Jon – The entire “congregation” should burn in Hell.
Randal – I don’t think they have any idea of what kind of neighborhood they’re walking into.
March 30th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Wyatt. I believe that there is a special circle of hell for those heretics. The same one reserved for child molesters and people who talk in the theater.
WTF do these frakers want with Temple anyway?
And would I go to hell if I want to see video footage of the inevitable beatdown? Or maybe participate in it?
March 30th, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Memo to Phred Phelps and his band of a$$holes:
“Listen, punk. To me you’re nothin’ but dogsh*t, you understand? And a lot of things can happen to dogsh*t. It can be scraped up with a shovel off the ground. It can dry up and blow away in the wind. Or it can be stepped on and squashed. So take my advice and be careful where the dog sh*ts ya!”
I stole the above quote from “Dirty” Harry Callahan, but it expresses my feelings for those dirtbags pretty well. I hate Phelps and the WBC with every fiber of my being. If that makes me a bad person, so be it.
March 30th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
I read this story earlier this morning!
As a man I was physically upset with what I read. As a US Veteran I was screaming bloody angry. I am still upset by this. In that kind of “ruin my day” kind of way.
I sent them 25 bucks, it was money I was going to give Pat Toomey, he won’t mind.
March 30th, 2010 at 2:28 pm
Phuck Phred Phelps…
March 30th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
Not a Philadelphian so I don’t really know what the “Temple” area means regarding cordiality etc. but from comments I can imagine:) Maybe the word can get out to the general populace there that if the Wesboroians are greeted..ahhh..appropriately.. then future misdemeanors and minor infractions for awhile can be ..ah.. ignored, including those related to the..ah..greeting ritual? LOL
March 30th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Sorry for so many posts on this one but this caught my eye and it describes a certain group of ..God I hate to use the word ..people:
Some people are like slinkies, they’re really good for nothing..but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
March 30th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Raptor – According to their website, they are protesting against their version of “Rent.” Apparently, there are gheys in the musical.
John D – Terrific quote. I recognized it almost at once. Would be nice to see then splattered on a shoe.
Danny – Toomey would probably be pleased with the donation to Mr. Snyder.
Fred – He is the shame of the state of Kansas.
Jon – It’s North Philly. High crime area. Population is a mix of African-American and Latino. Shootings occur about once every hour. Not a very Phelps-friendly kind of place.
March 30th, 2010 at 11:31 pm
I’m contributing… both as a Christian, AND as a Veteran… asshats…
March 30th, 2010 at 11:52 pm
Got my donation.
Wyatt, do you know a streetsweeper or a firetruck?
Just sayin.
March 30th, 2010 at 11:57 pm
Bill O’Rielly is going to pick it up for them.
March 31st, 2010 at 12:46 am
I don’t care how much you disagree with someone, there is no need to cause a disturbance at a funeral. These idiots need the 21 gun salute fired at them.
Jon, I love the slinky quote. And Wyatt I love the Die Hard quote on your status up top.
March 31st, 2010 at 12:47 am
first a trampling of the Constitution by the Senate, then a trampling of a father’s rights of a dignified funeral.
Seriously.. when you can be terrorized by a group, then ordered to pay the legals fees of those that terrorized you… WTF is wrong with this country?!
March 31st, 2010 at 8:06 am
We “non-compasionate” conservatives are doing the right thing. First the American Legion committed to picking up the full tab through collecting donations, then later the same day Bill Oreilly commited to writing a check for the current court costs. This man does not need to worry about the money, now he will not have to.
March 31st, 2010 at 8:56 am
I was glad to hear O’Reilly say yesterday that he would foot the bill. Now we need to make certain “the Supremes” hear this case and kick the Westboro Baptist Church to the curb. Perhaps the IRS should look into their expenditures and non-profit status!!!
March 31st, 2010 at 9:19 am
Wyatt,
I have to disagree with you. If someone sues another person and loses, they should pay the legal bills. They initiated the lawsuit in the first place. If the loser doesn’t pay, the precedent allows nuisance lawsuits from anyone. We already have that problem so I can’t disagree with the ruling.
As a 25 year veteran who gave a big chunk of his body to the Army, I also feel that Phelps has a 1st Amendment right to protest wherever he thinks fit, within the law. The 1st Amendment was written for those that disagree with our government or society. It wasn’t written only for the people we agree with.
Respectfully,
Robin
March 31st, 2010 at 10:26 am
Robin – that’s how the WDC makes any money at all, the Phelps himself is a former lawyer (disbarred).
and while they’ve got a 1st Amendment right to free speech, they do NOT have a right to protest wherever they see fit. The 1st Amendment does not cover this.
The father of that soldier also has a right to a private ceremony, uninterrupted and with dignity.
March 31st, 2010 at 11:31 am
Bravo Smite!
The arguement made by Robin, although
legally correct, is still morally repugnant in this case.
The Founding Fathers had one recourse back then that is illegal to us now, and may be a good reason why people like Phelps seem to be able to trample decency and mentally torture greiving people and get away with it, in a way the Founders did not anticipate. You see, back then, they could always walk up to a bastard like Phelps, bitch slap him, throw down a glove and tell them to appear with their ‘Seconds” at a particular field at dawn, or whatever time they chose. They then had a fully legal opportunity and recourse, to place a musket ball thru the lowlifes head and still walk away a legally free man with the insult to humanity corrected..permanetly.
March 31st, 2010 at 11:57 am
Robin, thank you for your service and I agree with your 1st amendment reasoning, but there is no reason to disrupt a funeral. If they must be allowed to protest then it should be at the cemetery gates and not so loud that it causes a public nuisance. Police dogs and fire hoses might come in handy in this situation.
March 31st, 2010 at 1:18 pm
Was telling a friend over lunch break about this case and when I asked him if he was familiar with the part of Philidelphia mentioned..his answer was..
“You mean Killadelphia?” LOL
No offense meant to anyone here.
March 31st, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Doesn’t the Philly PD have a coffee break between 6:45 and 7:30? Just askin’…
March 31st, 2010 at 5:34 pm
This note is to all those readers that DON’T consider me “morally repugnant”. I try to be civilized and polite as my Mom taught me. Anyone I find disagreeable; I just act as if they don’t exist. It really irritates people when they realize that their opinion doesn’t interest me. I find Fred Phelps thoroughly disgusting. His “church” members protest outside Ft. Leavenworth fairly often. As much as I want to chuck a rock at them, I never do.
March 31st, 2010 at 8:18 pm
Robin – Not you personally, the arguement raised by you in defense of Phelps. Even though all here including myself realize you are correct that he has as his security blanket, The Constitution of the United States of America, to legally demean, mentally torture family and friends of the young man killed and to trivialize the sacrifice of a mans life for his country, and to do so openly, with arrogance, mean spirit and disregard for human values and feelings is to me in a word, treasonous, to the human race, never mind the Constitution. Their lawyers, fresh blood and sea water still dripping off their shark skin, probably enjoyed forcing the judge to give the ruling that by all the merits of the case, no matter how disgusting, he probably had to give. IMHO there should have been dozens of judges in a row, recusing themselves thus forcing scheduling for a new appeal over and over till hell and Fred Phelps, now in it by that time, freezes over. Just because its legal there is no reason why some things should be tolerated at all, no matter how venerated the document protecting it. In this particular case it would not provide a slippery slope to abuse because this is so egregious that the slope has collapsed.
So please accept my apology if you feel I meant..YOU..personally, read the comment again, I meant your arguement which has been used, to often, by good people to give these jokers a break because we feel bound to do so no matter who it is. These people are on a par with spiritual Stalins and Hitlers (wow stretch your mind around that one..lol) and to me deserve very little. I live with a Pentacostal and she hates this F**kers guts.
(Disclaimer…I believe in God and Jesus, but worship in the church of no man.)
Andy Jackson lived when the words of the Declaration and the Constitution still burned hot within each man and womans heart in this country, and yet he still challenged people like this to a duel and shot them down like the dogs they were, even when he was President.
C’mon even though even he would admit to us that the Constitution covers all, he still made a personal exception or two every now and then. Its okay to do so for you too Robin, go ahead chuck that stone.
Let he who is with sin, cast the first boulder.
April 1st, 2010 at 12:14 am
Regardless of (questionable) grounds on the 1st Amendment right – Jon said it right, the father’s rights have been trampled on here.
Phelps and his peons have the right to protest (not everywhere), but they most certainly don’t have the right to demean, denigrate and mentally torture another man and his family or friends. There are laws that, in theory, protect against this.
Times have most certainly changed, since the days Jon spoke of, of gentleman and honor, and how to resolve such a situation…
April 1st, 2010 at 2:50 pm
incidentally, I was unaware of this before, but for all you Ron Paul guys – he was one of three that voted against the Respect for America’s Fallen Heroes Act, that still passed unanimously otherwise.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respect_for_America‘s_Fallen_Heroes_Act
May 13th, 2010 at 4:40 pm
Could I ask a question?
May 13th, 2010 at 4:54 pm
I’m just learning about the Phelps protesters and what they are doing at slain soliders funerals. I just need for somebody to straighten out a couple points for me.
First, is this Phelps “christian”(if this is Christian activity, I’d like to know what a group of demoniacs would do) actually protesting at just any soliders funeral he decides to, or what criteria does he go by to choose.
Is it really true that the reason those “people” (and believe me, I use the term “people” in a questioning way) are doing this is because of our Gov’t allowing gays to serve in the militiary?
I’m confused, if the above is the truth, what happened to humanity and common decency to the family of the slain solider. I’m afraid Phelps is in for a rude awakening when he takes his last breath, I feel there’s a special little cove in hell for him and his followers!