Westboro Baptist Church protestors abuse First Amendment rights

Whether or not you agree with the war, there is a level of respect that our soldiers deserve. A certain church in Kansas seems to forget that we should respect other humans that fight for our rights.

In 2006, members of the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church protested outside of a military funeral with signs that read “Thank God for Dead Soldiers,” “Thank God for 9/11,” “America is Doomed," and "Priests Rape Boys."

The church has continued these protests for years as a way to spread their belief that deaths in Iraq are punishment for America’s tolerance of homosexuality.

The Westboro Baptist Church targeted Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder, who wasn't even gay, after he was killed in Iraq.

The father of the dead soldier in this particular case decided to fight back.

Albert Snyder sued the church and was originally awarded $10.9 million for emotional distress and invasion of privacy. The amount was later reduced to $5 million and then the decision was reversed, which forced Snyder to pay nearly $17,000 in court fees.

The case is headed to the Supreme Court this fall.

I believe that the First Amendment is a great thing. It allows people to have free speech, religious freedom, and the right to protest, all of which the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka definitely took advantage. However, the First Amendment doesn’t say that we should abuse these freedoms when practicing our rights.

It is mind-boggling to try to understand how religious people can thank God for dead soldiers in front of a building full of people mourning the death of their beloved soldier.

Is it so difficult to put religious differences aside and just be a decent human being? Using a funeral for anything besides mourning or celebrating the deceased’s life is selfish. If there is at least one place to show respect, it is at a funeral.

A little respect can go a long way.

If somebody disagrees with war, that is fine. However, somebody should not go out of their way to disrespect a soldier and their family especially at such a tragic time. The church should have picketed at a military base, in front of their church, or at least down the street from the funeral.

The members of the Westboro Baptist Church should be thankful for soldiers who are risking their lives to protect them. Even if you do not agree with the war, don’t take it out on the people that are just trying to be good American citizens.

Soldiers have the right to believe that they should join the military, just like others believe that war is wrong.

Hopefully, the Supreme Court will show these protestors that First Amendment freedoms are not protected if their protests are maliciously disrespectful to people and set out to cause harm. Regardless of religion or what laws state, there really is no excuse for being oblivious to respect.