This blog features observations from Randy Turner, a former teacher, newspaper reporter and editor. Send news items or comments to rturner229@hotmail.com
Monday, March 13, 2006
Albom column addresses protests at funerals
The Westboro Baptist Church's protests at soldiers' funerals is the topic of syndicated columnist and "Tuesdays with Morrie" author Mitch Albom's latest column.
Mitch jumps on that slippery slope with both feet. Too bad. It may be possible to craft a protest law that doesn't do harm to the Bill of Rights (I'd bee all for it), but that doesn't describe the Missouri law. The following is technically against the law according to the language of MO the law: If a funeral procession passes by a labor picket line, those striking workers have broken the law. The MO law makes no attempt to define intention. It says nothing about who or what you may be protesting. It takes out of play a large swath of civic space for protest of ANY kind.
Mitch jumps on that slippery slope with both feet. Too bad. It may be possible to craft a protest law that doesn't do harm to the Bill of Rights (I'd bee all for it), but that doesn't describe the Missouri law. The following is technically against the law according to the language of MO the law: If a funeral procession passes by a labor picket line, those striking workers have broken the law. The MO law makes no attempt to define intention. It says nothing about who or what you may be protesting. It takes out of play a large swath of civic space for protest of ANY kind.
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