Westboro Baptist Church, The First Amendment, and the Difference Between Legally Right & Morally Right

As a writer and a (somewhat self-proclaimed) activist, I am a champion of the first amendment. I believe fervently in the freedom of speech and freedom of the press. It's two of the most important things in my mind in regards to ensuring people are held accountable and voices can be heard. No one should ever EVER feel afraid to state the truth. The first amendment says:

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

These words are inspired, in my mind. The founding fathers set up this statement as the very first basis of their government. It leaves me in awe that before they tried to establish any other kind of law or structure, they laid out a way that the people's rights to worship, to say, to print, and to assemble were ensured, were protected from the very government they were trying to establish. They set this out first and foremost because they knew what it was like to live under a government that didn't ensure these rights. Their government told them what to worship, what to say, and what to print, and if you disobeyed, you were shut down and punished. These rights seem so basic to us now but to create a system that guaranteed them for every citizen is astonishing and inspiring.

Now, jump ahead some 200+ years. We have stuff like the Westboro Baptist Church, who go around protesting military funerals, holding up signs that read "God Hates Fags" or "God Hates Dead Soldiers" and who shout obscene & malicious slogans at a family who is grieving the loss of a loved one. The WBC's idea behind this is that God is punishing the U.S. for its tolerance of homosexuality by killing soldiers in Iraq or, more recently, the lives lost when Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot. They stand behind their "God," saying they are doing his work by protesting & shouting truly horrible things at the funeral of Christina Taylor Green, a nine year old little girl who was caught in the crossfire during the tragic Arizona shootings.

Now, before I say anything else, let me emphasize the fact these people of the WBC are the most reprehensible, depraved, vile human beings in existence. What they are doing is wrong, wrong, WRONG. It sickens me every time I hear about them. They call themselves a Christian organization when nearly everything they do is in direct violation of the teaching of Christ. They are what is wrong with people today. They are what is wrong with corrupt organized religion. They use their religious beliefs to "excuse" truly despicable, deplorable deeds. I have no sympathy nor support for these people and their actions. They disgust me.

However, the question was brought to me about the WBC right to protest these funerals. Are they allowed legally to do these things? And, unfortunately, I have to agree with the Supreme Court and say they have every right to do it. They are protected under the nearly all four parts of the first amendment. They are "practicing" their "religion," they have the right to say and print whatever material they want, and they have the right to peaceably assemble (if any of them were to physically engage with members of the funeral party or whoever, that's a different story and I would hope, in that case, they would get the shit kicked out of them and then have they asses locked up). These people, as deplorable as their actions are, have the right to do them. It'd be the same if a group of us went to Capitol Hill in Salt Lake and protested and chanted slogans against the new GRAMA bill (which is something we all should do. Go look it up. It's just awful). We'd be protected under the same law.

However, this brings up something very, very important. It's so important that it's going to get it's own special line, and be written in larger font, centered and inred:

Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should. 

This is a case where just because something is legally right does not mean it's ethically right. Yes, the constitution protects the WBC's right to say & do these things. They're not doing anything legally wrong. But what they are doing is ethically wrong, wrong, wrong. And while I am disgusted by their actions, I would never try to censor them in any way. It's like that quote from Voltaire that has become so cliche and trite but still rings true:

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." 

That's what's so upsetting about this whole thing. I hate what they are saying and doing but I would never, ever support any attempts to censor them. As I said at the beginning, I am a firm believer in the first amendment. And if the WBC could be censored, who's to say I couldn't either? Who's to say that somewhere people could fervently disagree with something I write and they could try to shut me down? It would be hypocritical of me to claim protection under the first amendment while simultaneously trying to strip another group of its first amendment rights. It's an uncomfortable and upsetting situation and I hate it. But that's the way it is. An attempt to censor one of us is an attempt to censor all of us. And that is something we cannot allow to happen.

Love you.
Mean it.