Why Obama.....WHY?!

Look, I agree that it's a horrible thing.

I don't think it's right at all.

But THIS is exactly how 'Free Speech Zones' are formed. Worrying about people being offended is limiting our rights.

I feel for the people who've lost loved ones. I do. And I think the protesters are horrible people that need to stop. It IS however a gov't protest since it's a protest against the war.

Look, all I'm saying is that if we keep accepting exceptions for our rights, where does it end?

The family of the fallen soldier is practicing the highest form of speech in our society. The mourning of their loved one fallen in service to society.

Where are their rights? If you allow blood tossing morons to attempt to shout them down you have thrown away the first ammendment, not protected it? You do not value human life, or liberty or the society.


You can feel any way you want about any war you want. But the soldiers believe they are performing the ultimate sacrifice for you and yours.
Once they take the oath, they are treated like indentured servants, and have no choice, they loose their rights as a citizen to protect yours.
They take orders and do as they are told. You should try it some time.

You should at least be mature enough to respect the intent, even if you disagree with the specifics. If not maybe you need to know what it's like to have no freedom at all.

The penalty for protesting someones funeral, anyone's funeral should be a three year hitch in the service, if they qualify, or the equivalent outside the US in some public service, like the Peace Corps. They can make a new one if they have to for the purpose.

[edit on 26-5-2008 by Cyberbian]

I think it is so disrespectful to protest at someones
funeral. How low can you go? They lost a loved one, do you
have any idea how that feels? I dont think you do.
It is not a time for politics, its a time for mourning and
remembering the dead.
And what if the family respects the military and the
service their loved one died for?
What if the dead one believed in what he died for?

reply to post by bigbert81


So we should be able to yell "FIRE!!!" in a cinema, when there isn't one, and not be accountable?

We should also be able to yell "I HAVE A BOMB!!!" in an airplane with no repercussions?

Those would fall under the "Free Speech Zone" thing you're talking about and want to do away with. Those are two examples of freedom of speech being limited... but yet you seem okay with them, or at least agree with them, but think that Obama is completely wrong in saying there should be that type of thing with funerals. Why is that?

[edit on 27-5-2008 by ericds]

bigbert, that's what we've (us anti-Obama supporters) have been trying to tell you all along. Obama is a major appeaser and Marxist.

If it were to be his way, you would have no free speech or freedom of choice for that matter. You're options would be limited in what you could choose, and those choices would be 'state-run' under his political support for a much bigger government.

I'd rather have Corporate Facism than Government Facism. At least with Corporations, you still have competition and some choices. Under the bigger government model, you just have a large welfare state with a dysfunctional parent, and that parent is the government.

I think everybody should vote Ron Paul. He should be the Republican candidiate. Put him up on stage against Clinton or Obama and see who has a grip on things.

Originally posted by bigbert81
Worrying about people being offended is limiting our rights.

The people in the funeral have a right to their religious beliefs.
That is also a promise made by the law.

Protesters at a funeral take away their right to religious freedom.
However, moving the protesters 200 or 300 yards from the funeral
in no way interferes with their right of free speech and it allows the
grieving the right to practice their religion in peace - as they are
promised by the law.

The right to bury and grieve for ones dead in peace should be protected. It is common sense. Anyone who believes little $%!@'s should be able to rant/rave like the lunatics while a family is mourning has probably never lost someone truly close to them.

As a society we should have SOME standards. The fact that the matter is up for debate shows perhaps we are afraid to have any. It is shameful and disgusting.

Hey Bigbert,

I understand your logic in a sense, but it is disrespectful to do any type of protest at a military funeral UNLESS it is by the family and even so, it still disrespects the soldier. I am totally against the war and have never supported it, BUT, I actually do provide a free service at military funerals and block protesters out as best as possible. This is a dead father, brother, son, daughter, mother sister, etc... You think our freedom do be a jerk at someone's dead relative's/friend's funeral is a good thing? Yes, it's freedom of speech or whatever, but you MUST draw the line. To protest at a funeral is one of the lowest things humans can do. There are much better ways of protesting that are not only more efficient, but less intrusive and hurtful to the families. You know the feelings you have for protesting? Or you know the strong feelings you have for whatever it is you are passionate about? The soldiers that died had that same feeling about going to war to protect their country and make their world a better place. I'm not saying you or they were/are right. What I am saying is show a little respect. There is absolutely NO need to protest the war at a funeral. Instead, give numbers to the media or post numbers. Show the enormous amount of life being lost daily on the military and civilian side. Show other things in other ways. Make a splash in the media or on the internet, but not at a funeral. If your closest friend or relative died and you were at the funeral and all these people are yelling or trying to interrupt the service or even making a spectacle out of it, I doubt you would appreciate it very much.

JPT

Originally posted by bigbert81
Look, I agree that it's a horrible thing.

I don't think it's right at all.

But THIS is exactly how 'Free Speech Zones' are formed. Worrying about people being offended is limiting our rights.

I feel for the people who've lost loved ones. I do. And I think the protesters are horrible people that need to stop. It IS however a gov't protest since it's a protest against the war.

Look, all I'm saying is that if we keep accepting exceptions for our rights, where does it end?

You should be way more concerned and putting WAY more effort into fighting the patriot act than this thing that Obama mentioned. They can take this right away from me right now. This freedom of speech right means nothing in reality. The idea that they can arrest me for believing I might be a terrorist and having to provide no real proof and show nothing and not really allow me to contact family or lawyer for sometime is seriously messed up.


JPT

So not being able to protest a funeral for a soldier bothers you BUT him telling you how much to eat and what to set your thermostat to doesn't?? It's the same thing. He wants to little by little take your rights away.

If I want to run my AC on 65 and pay a $500+ electric bill that's my prerogative. I'm the one who lives with the climate in my home so I should be able to regulate it as I please. The same goes for eating. What if I have a high metabolism and need to eat more than you? What if I just want to be a pig? That's my right. I'm just sayin"....

Why? Bigbert81 its obvious and more upsetting than you realize. You Obamites can't see the forest for the smoke screen he's thrown up. HE'S JUST ANOTHER POLITICIAN. He's not the "breath of fresh air" any party needs but another greased palm pilot of the Democrap party. Methuselah McCain would have come up with it too if he weren't so busy trying to find a VP.

Dude, sorry to say but its upsetting to you because you're finally realizing YOU BEEN HAD. Yes sir its looking more and more like this diehard Independent is gonna be writing his own name in for Prez and voting for himself. I'm over 35, been in the US 14 years, and am a US citizen, so I'm just as qualified.

YOU AND THE OTHER OBAMITES HAVE BEEN HAD. Sorry.

reply to post by bigbert81

My husband is a soldier in the US Army. Frankly, I do not feel loike they are fighting this war to keep our freedom, they are fighting to help another country obtain/keep their freedom. However, if at anytime something happens to him and we have to have a funeral, heaven forbid, and there are protesters anywhere near his service, you can damn well guaran-goddamn-tee that I will go f'ing postal. These men and women don't always agree with what they have to do, they just follow orders, that is their job. And I just dont see the reason to dishonor these brave men and women by If you want to protest, fine, that is your right, but find a place that is appropriate to do so. I hope that Obama does ban protests outside of funerals. I was planning to vote for him as long as he got the nomination, now I support him even further.

I still don't understand what ever happened to right and wrong, and common freaking sense in this country. What happened to respect. Most likely a funeral for a soldier is for someones child or someones dad. And we have to debate where to put the protesters for the funeral?? Come on! Let them protest because they have a right, but no where near in sight of the funeral.

IMO the original poster has a point. I mean yes, this time it does make sense to the majority of us - protesting next to the funeral of a soldier is reprehensible. So you ban this one instance and the general populace backs you up.

BUT - where does it end? What about the next time he wants to limit freedom of speech? What if next time it only appeals to 55% of the audience. Still a majority right? What about the time after that, etc. Where does it end? Before long you end up with a constitution guaranteeing freedom of speech except in the case of these few thousand circumstances. Before long those exceptions become the rule and you wind up not needing the guarantee of a freedom of speech at all. It's a dangerous trend to be setting, and I DO NOT support Obama or any politician on it.

Now as for the original poster supporting Obama and being surprised that he said this - DUDE, Obama is a MARXIST! How ANYONE who truly believes in a Democracy can support this man is way beyond me. It tells me that people are reading the cover and ignoring the inside of the book.

If you think this one instance is bad, you haven't seen anything yet. If he gets elected we're in for four years of changing and undermining the very values that our forefathers set into motion.


[edit on 27-5-2008 by sos37]

if i was a soldier and died,i would'nt want protesters at my funeral..unless they actually cared about me and not some viewpoint or strategy.


there is free speach,then there is respect...know what i'm saying?

Originally posted by Skipper1975
if i was a soldier and died,i would'nt want protesters at my funeral..unless they actually cared about me and not some viewpoint or strategy.


there is free speach,then there is respect...know what i'm saying?

I understand what you're saying, but you still don't get it. This is an easy scenario to poke holes in because it's common sense to most of us that you show respect at a funeral.

What about the next time Obama wants to limit freedom of speech, say because it offends the African-American audience but no one else? Are you willing to give up your right in that case? What about if he wants to limit freedom of speech because it offends visiting Zimbabweyan dignitaries? You willing to forfeit your rights then?

Look, the Constitution guarantees everyone UNALIENABLE RIGHTS. It doesn't tell people to use common sense. If you're so eager to give up your rights even in the face of common sense, then the world you live in has just become a DICTATORSHIP, with one man telling you what you can and cannot say in a certain place. I say again, WHERE DOES IT END?

reply to post by Skipper1975


I couldn't agree more. Someday our country will go in the hole because we lose sight of simple things like respect. Free speech is wonderful and I exercise that freedom quite often to the fullest extent, but never in my life would I think of protesting someones funeral that died for such a noble cause. Taking away protesting of funerals is not taking away "rights" its putting respect back in our country. I don't like Obama one bit but maybe hes got this one right.

reply to post by bigbert81



If you where a solider, would you want someone protesting at your funeral? In fact, would you want someone wrecking what is your final ride full stop. Soliders funeral and all other peoplles are to be respected, FACT!

reply to post by sos37


I agree as well. Where does it end? BUT do most people tell you to use common sense? no. Because they expect you to do it. Not using it is just dumb. The founding fathers used common sense of right and wrong when creating the constitution. They tried to make it equally fair for all and did a AWESOME job of doing it. The constitution has been changed though. Changed to adapt to circumstances that the founding fathers did not foresee at the time. Thats why it was made the way it was. I'm sure while they were sitting down thinking this stuff up protesting a soldiers funeral didn't come up because they didn't think people would be stupid enough to do so. If it did come up I am sure they would have taken care of it. Now these other things being hinted at taking away I won't even go there thats bad news. But this is one thing we could do without.