The Dignity for Military Funerals Act of 2006 (Introduced in Senate 3/16/06) is supposed "To prohibit picketing at the funerals of members and former members of the armed forces".
Text of bill
This is obviously designed to counter Fred Phelps and his moronic band, and obviously has gone nowhere.
But is it even necessary? (there's more...)
Of course, Phelps and his idiots have a right to protest - regardless of how hateful and offensive their protest is to the community.
But what happens if the community fights? Well, this is what happened in Seaford, DE.
SEAFORD- Battle lines are being drawn over the First Amendment in Seaford. The ACLU is speaking out about a controversial Kansas church group plans to picket the funeral of fallen Marine Cory Palmer Sunday. And that's become very touchy issue in Palmer's hometown.
Cory Palmer wasn't the only Marine from Seaford killed in Iraq. Lance Cpl. Rick James' funeral was only a few days after Cory Palmer's.
But Phelps wasn't there. They got their permit. Everybody expected them.
About 80 police officers were present about a half mile away at Nutter Park on Norman Eskridege Highway, where a group of members from the Topeka, Kan.-based Westboro Baptist Church had planned to protest. The group, which says it is against the U.S. government and its military because it tolerates homosexuality, had applied for and received permission to demonstrate from 11:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at Nutter Park. The group never showed.
Some residents guessed why.
"Maybe they didn't get the publicity they thought they would last time, so they thought it was a waste of time," said resident Doris Buchert.
"They're cowards, they didn't show up," said Jim Flanagan.
And why didn't they show up?
Margie Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church said they didn't show up because the "bloody violent undisciplined vicious community had no respect for the law and whose leaders turned them into a mob."
She also said "the media and the violence of the mob had permeated that area with the message," said Phelps.
Message? What message? That it's despicable to desicrate the funeral of somebody you don't even know? That standing up for a community member is wrong? What happened?
SEAFORD- Police in Seaford arrested five counter-protesters on charges ranging from disorderly conduct to assault during a Sunday afternoon altercation with members of an anti-gay Kansas church...
About 10 members of the Westboro Baptist Church came to Seaford's Gateway Park to demonstrate before the beginning of the funeral for Palmer, 21, who died earlier this month from injuries suffered in Iraq. The believe God is punishing America for being too tolerant of homosexuals by killing soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The police say that during the demonstration, the crowd of more than 1,000 counter-protesters gathered in and around the protest area. The police say that at around 2:45 a 16-year-old juvenile was arrested for cutting a tire on the rental van of the Westboro Baptist Church protesters.
The police say that at this point, officers commandeered a van from the Seaford Fire Department to remove the protesters at the designated time.
The police, though I'm sure many of them did NOT like it, arrested those who assaulted them, got Phelps' group to safety, and it doesn't appear anybody was hurt.
And for reference, Seaford's population is less than 7,000.
But Jim Flanagan was right - they're cowards. The two Marines who were buried that week weren't.
And did you hear any of this on the national news?
Group Has Right To Picket Palmer's Funeral - Full story (from WBOC TV, Salisbury MD)
Five Arrested During Confrontation with Kansas Church Group - full story (WBOC TV)
Community Says Goodbye to Fallen Seaford Marine (WBOC TV)