debate_junkie
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COLUMBUS, Ohio - States are rushing to limit when and where people may protest at funerals — all because of a small Kansas church whose members picket soldiers' burials, arguing that Americans are dying for a country that harbors homosexuals.
During the 1990s, the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., went around picketing the funerals of AIDS victims with protest signs that read, "God Hates F**s." But politicians began paying more attention recently when church members started showing up at the burials of soldiers and Marines killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Legislation is being considered in at least 14 states, and several of the bills moving quickly, with backing from legislative leaders and governors.
<snip>
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060206/ap_on_re_us/funeral_protests
So what are your thoughts? Should legislation be able to limit where protests can happen, or would it violate free speech?
During the 1990s, the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., went around picketing the funerals of AIDS victims with protest signs that read, "God Hates F**s." But politicians began paying more attention recently when church members started showing up at the burials of soldiers and Marines killed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Legislation is being considered in at least 14 states, and several of the bills moving quickly, with backing from legislative leaders and governors.
<snip>
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060206/ap_on_re_us/funeral_protests
So what are your thoughts? Should legislation be able to limit where protests can happen, or would it violate free speech?