God bless ‘em, the members of the Westboro Baptist Church are still trying their hardest to do . . . whatever it is they’re attempting to do. It’s never been exactly clear what they’re getting out of this, has it? Other than getting trolled by Kesha, of all people.
Haha! Terrific.
Either way, the WBC is still committed to its plan to picket funerals for the sake of whatever ill-defined end game it’s reaching for, and today it ended up getting smacked down in court. According to The Huffington Post, a small suburb in St Louis imposed a measure that made it illegal to picket a space that was being used for funerals. Since that’s kind of their thing, the WBC tried to have the law rejected as unconstitutional, only to be told that a precedent had already been set and the measure was found completely legitimate.
“St. Charles County, a suburb of St. Louis, passed a measure in 2010 banning picketing within 300 feet and one hour before or after any funeral or burial service. Anyone violating that ordinance would be charged with a misdemeanor and face a maximum $1,000 fine.
Leaders of Westboro claimed that the statute violated their First Amendment rights to free speech, religious liberty and assembly, as well as Missouri’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act. On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Audrey Fleissig disagreed, noting that the county’s restriction was identical “for all intents and purposes” to one in nearby Manchester County, Mo. which was upheld by a federal appeals court last year.”
Aw, bless their little hearts. They think they’re making headway here. Adorable.
In all fairness, it’s not like they haven’t gotten their message across: they think we’re all going to hell. They’ve been banging on the same bit for decades now — I’m really not sure how much clearer they could possibly make it. You guys gave it your best shot; you accomplished just about everything you could at this point. Maybe give it a rest now.
Why you can trust Xtra
