The official blog of American Veteran Magazine, the national quarterly publication of AMVETS.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Your Turn: What Do You Think of the Supreme Courts Decision on Picketing Funerals?

Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in the case of Gold Star father Albert Snyder versus the hateful Kansas church notorious for picketing military funerals (it is AMVETS' policy to refrain from naming the church, as this only calls further attention to their cause).

The high court ruled that the Kansas clan was within its First Amendment rights when it picketed outside of the funeral of Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq in 2006. To read the full holding in the case, Click Here.

What do you think of the decision? Read AMVETS' official response, take our poll and please feel free to leave your comments at the bottom of this thread.

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Do you feel the Supreme Court's decision on the Snyder case was correct?
Yes No Not Sure


In AMVETS' official reaction to the decision, AMVETS National Commander Jerry Hotop sought to express AMVETS dismay over the decision, but also to explain why the court ruled the way it did and how the opinion of Chief Justice John Roberts actually left the door open for continued advocacy and legislation to prohibit the sick tactics the church has traditionally employed to harass Gold Star families in their time of grief.

As you can imagine, the veterans community is outraged over the decision that comes at a time when USA Today/Gallup polls show that two thirds of Americans acknowledge that the current conflicts have had no effect on them.

In Justice Sam Alito's dissenting opinion, he said that the hateful Kansas clan intentionally targeted individuals and hid behind technicalities of the law only when it suited their deviant needs. Hotop said AMVETS agreed with the dissent and was upset with the court's application of the law.

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6 comments:

  1. Is shameful, what is more shameful is so many sit home and do nothing. By not taking a stand against such are they not also as guilty by turning a blind eye? So few go to block the protesters, WHEN did you stand up.

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  2. SHOULD BE A FEDERAL OFFENSE...

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  3. The ruling is hurtful to all Gold Star parents! However, it is not surprising and it is what our children are fighting and dying for. Bill Clemens, father of SSG Shawn Clemens, KIA in Ghazni, Afghanistan (Sons of AMVETS, Dept of New York Cmdr.

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  4. Freedom isn't free. http://jinxd66.blogspot.com/

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