Hooray to jurors! When I first heard this case, I was appaled! If they wanted to picket the war and the soldiers of the war, why didn't they make a trip over to the new democracy of Iraq and protest? That would have been a better chosen destination...and who's to say any of them would have made it back? I know that's not nice...but neither is standing at an "American Hero's" (as they SO don't like for them to be called) funeral protesting something that, in my opinion, has nothing to do w/ that soldier! Thank God for this being settled in court though, b/c I think that assures that these people will HAVE to pay it back!

I do not condone the ideals, actions, or message of the WBC in any way, shape, or form, but if they were standing on a public sidewalk and doing nothing but singing songs, shouting, and carrying signs, then these individuals are exercising their supposedly "inalienable" rights to free speech and peaceable assembly, while doing doing no more harm than offending people. This decision is another victory for those individuals possessing no respect for these ideals so dear to our forefathers and that believe one person's exercising of these rights should end at another person's tender heart.

Walking into an airport with a sign claiming a bomb or walking into a crowded room and yelling "fire" are indeed not protected speech because they can potentially cause real harm to the surrounding public. The Westboro Baptist Church congregation have only been offending people, and pose no real threat to anyone or anything. Again, I do not support this badgering at military funerals from a moral standpoint, but to deny people the legal right to do so opens the door to broad denials of free speech across the board just because someone is offended, and that is why this is a terrible decision on the part of the jury.

to Yarn-this is a civil suit, and was handled as such.

You make a good point,perhaps they too have pals at the ACLU that will defend them,as they did the Nazi's who marched on Skokie,IL a few years ago.

I feel Sacha has an excellent point,a funeral is PRIVATE,because if you go inside a funeral home,you can be escorted right out if you are unwanted by the family.

A ballgame is public,but if you act a fool,you can also be ejected,although you paid for a seat.

I really think our forefathers could never dreamed a group would wish to mock and desecrate a soldier's funeral.

Freedom has to have some limits as IB LeTruth pointed out,or people will abuse freedom foolishly.

A civil suit was the truly appropriate way to get justice, I feel in this particular case.

I am not sure that soldiers fight for the right to inflict mental anguish. It might be that this is a tyrany that they fight against and for the individual not to have to endure such treatment. A little common sense will tell you that this family was harmed as if you had beat them with a stick.