I will agree that the Honoring America's Veterans Act is unconstitutional.

I will also agree that suppression of free speech is illegal.

What I'd like to see is that every Westboro protest is subject to the same standard that the Hell's Angel's get.

Remove tax-exempt status from all churches and see how quickly they all disintegrate.

I'm content to let jerks beclown themselves in the open, for everybody to see. Doing Something to them, whether revoking their tax-exempt status, declaring them a hate group, or whatever, makes them martyrs.

Oh, and another thing, while we're at it. Suppressing hate groups or heretics is all fine and dandy, as long as you're the one who gets to define hate and heresy. But that position could be kind of tough to maintain.

It would be so much easier just to give civil and criminal immunity to anyone who beat up a protester at a military funeral.

The latest dumbshit petition at The White House site calls for designating the Westboro losers a "hate group."

Hey, if the shit fits, let the wear it. Calling Westboro a hate group is actually ACCURATE, unlike when SPLC calls various conservative organizations hate groups.

"I would love it if the Westboro creeps would just mysteriously and spontaneously disintegrate -- it's horrible what they do at these funerals."

Oh hell no. Those filth have done more to expose homophoba for the hateful pathology it is than anyone else could have without using the same tactics.

I'm not saying I'd be upset if someone shot one or more of them in a drive by, I'd be fine with that, but I want the group to continue for the foreseeable future. They still have work to do.

And anyone who goes around defining who is a hate group is really sowing dragon's teeth, sharpening a knife for their own throat.

I agree, Kendra - tax exemption amountns to a government subsidy.

The whole slippery slope argument is overused, but I think it applies here. I don't think we want to go down the road of labeling some speech unacceptable.

Kendra has it -- these people are nothing but a family of lawyers scamming the tax system and giggling at the attention their putrid psychoses have garnered.

Remove tax exempt status and the thousands of little garage-band "churches" will fold down their tents and go back to selling Amway to make a buck.

"Wanna buy some Jesus hate? No? How 'bout some soap?".

"Hate speech" and "hate crimes" are both utter nonsense. In both cases, the law is trying to regulate people's thoughts, and is open to very subjective interpretations.

The law should be as objective as possible. If you assault someone, that is a crime. The fact that you were insulting them at the time is irrelevant.

The solution to offensive speech is more speech. If the Westboro idiots protest in offensive ways, counter-protests are the answer - as has already happened.

"As I think Justice Brandeis first pointed out, sunshine is the best disinfectant."

Amen to that! To which I'll add as Calvin Coolidge (or was it Abe Lincoln?) said:

"Better to be thought a fool than to open mouth and remove all doubt."

Personally, I'd much rather know who the fools are than to try and guess.

Ha ha, Westboro. I don't give them much thought after they "came" to my town a couple years ago for an airman's funeral. I mean, their "threat" brought the Patriot Riders and thousands of people out. All the property along the length of the procession was privately owned, though, and, as you can imagine, nobody would give them permission to protest on their land. They town finally told them, "You can stand over HERE," and "here" was nowhere near the procession route. You couldn't find them unless you went looking, which my neighbor's son did, and he reported that there were only seven protesters, and five of them were children.

The requirements to be a tax exempt charity can be found here:

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1828.pdf

I frankly wonder about the money of the place. The members give everything that they own to be owned by the church, and the 'minister' gets all of the financial benefit personally...that is a violation of tax law.

I also agree that no church should be given tax exemption. That should be reserved for CHARITIES...and standing in a room and talking about God and taking 10% of people's money is not charity. Force each church to do actual charity work (feed homeless, minister the sick, etc) and then they can keep the tax benefits.

I signed the petition to remove their tax exemption status, but not the one for 'hate speech'...thought crimes shouldn't exist.

I would say that it should only apply to charities which can account for every cent donated and prove 95% of it is spent on actual charity