Father of Marine Killed in Iraq Sues Church for Cheering Death, Appeals to Public

[dt3]

FOXNews.com - Father of Marine Killed in Iraq Sues Church for Cheering Death, Appeals to Public Online for Help - Local News | News Articles | National News | US News

The family of a Marine killed in Iraq has sued a Baptist church for picketing their son's funeral and is turning to the Internet to drum up support.
Albert Snyder, the father of fallen Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, took the stand this week in the Baltimore trial against the Westboro Baptist Church and testified that protesters waving signs at Matthew's burial made him nauseous. He'd wanted a private service for his son.
"They turned this funeral into a media circus and they wanted to hurt my family," Snyder said on the stand Wednesday. "They wanted their message heard and they didn't care who they stepped over. My son should have been buried with dignity, not with a bunch of clowns outside."
The Snyder family's suit against the church — whose members have picketed the funerals of military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, claiming the deaths are punishment for the country's tolerance of homosexuality — could cost close to $100,000, the law firm representing them said. That's why Albert Snyder is asking for the community's help on the Web site www.matthewsnyder.org.

"This would be a significant financial drain on them," George Werner, a spokesman for the Barley and Snyder law firm (no relation to Matthew Snyder's family), told FOXNews.com. "They're looking for support both emotionally and financially to fund the case against the church. The family concluded that reaching out to the public would help in both ways and be very beneficial."
Werner said it isn't known how much the litigation will cost but estimated it will be somewhere under $100,000. If the trial drags on or there are appeals, it could be more.
"Any excess money will go to benefit veterans returning from the war in the form of a scholarship. No donations will be paid to me," Albert Snyder writes on the Web site. "Your money will be put to good use."
The result to date has been good, said Werner — in part thanks to the Web campaign — though he couldn't provide specific numbers in terms of donations and traffic to the site.
"It's another way of getting their message out," he said. "From a very broad perspective, (the response) has been very, very encouraging."
Albert Snyder, of York, Md., is seeking unspecified monetary damages for invasion of privacy and intent to inflict emotional distress as a result of the Topeka, Kan., church's protest at his son's funeral in Westminster in March 2006.
The church's protests have inspired several state laws and a federal law about funeral protests, but the Maryland suit is believed to be the first filed by the family of a fallen serviceman.
Matthew died March 3, 2006, at age 20 from a non-combat-related vehicle accident in Anbar province, Iraq. His father said in press interviews at the time that his son was killed when the Humvee he was traveling in rolled over. He'd served with the 1st Marine Logistics Group in the Marine Expeditionary Force in Twentynine Palms, Calif.
Asked Wednesday about a sign that read "Thank God for dead soldiers," Albert Snyder said he thinks about it daily.
"I see that sign when I lay in bed," Snyder said.
Asked about statements issued by the group that his son was raised to support the "Roman Catholic monstrosity" and then sent to fight for the "United States of Sodomy," Snyder said "they have no right to do this to people they didn't know."
During cross-examination, defense attorney Jonathan Katz focused on obituaries and death notices and questioned Snyder on whether they said the funeral services were private. Snyder replied that the notices said friends and family were welcome, but admitted that he did not know all of the 500 or so people who attended.
The case tests the limits of the First Amendment right to free speech.
U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett instructed jurors at the start of testimony Tuesday that the First Amendment protection of free speech has limits, including vulgar, offensive and shocking statements.
Bennett said the jurors must decide "whether the defendant's actions would be highly offensive to a reasonable person, whether they were extreme and outrageous and whether these actions were so offensive and shocking as to not be entitled to First Amendment protection."
Church members said they are motivated by the fear of God and their need to warn America about its moral decay, rather than a desire to hurt anyone.
Katz told jurors Tuesday the protests took place 1,000 feet away from St. John Catholic Church, where the funeral was held, down a hill and out of sight and hearing from participants.
Snyder said American military personnel are in Iraq fighting for freedom of speech; "they're not fighting for hate speech." One photo showing a child holding a sign at the funeral protest was particularly disturbing, the father said.
"I pray for their children. Their children need help. To be brought up with that kind of hatred," Snyder said.
"My God is a loving God," Snyder said, adding later, "I don't look for hatred in the Bible."
The church's founder and pastor, Fred Phelps, took the stand after Snyder and prompted a strong admonition from Bennett when the pastor said he had not considered whether children would see a sign carried by protesters with the words "Semper Fi Fags" and two stick figures that appear to be engaged in sodomy.
"No, it's an irrelevancy," Phelps said.
Bennett then interjected sharply.
"Just answer the question, sir. Don't determine what's relevant or not relevant. You just answer the question," Bennett said.
Phelps said he chose to use the term "fag" in the group's signs because it comes from scripture, but could also have used Sodomite or dog. When asked by Katz why the group made a "Semper Fi Fags" sign, Phelps said it was in response to the need for a warning to the country "that your wicked ways are going to be your doom shortly."
FOX News' Catherine Donaldson-Evans and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

[dt3]

I think these people are the absolute lowest form of life on our planet. Yes, there's free speech, but shouldn't a grieving family be allowed to bury their son in peace?

 

[UncleBacon]

I would like to have an humvee accident right where they're protesting running them all down...they are scumbags and crazy....

 

[Tim]

I'll drive the second humvee... just in case some of them are still moving.

 

[GraceAbounds]

[SIZE=-1]Fred Phelps strikes again. [/SIZE]I wonder what God has in store for that man. :confused

I also do not understand how that man and I read from the same Bible and yet see two totally different 'models of character' that we are suppose to be trying to walk in.

That man scares me.

 

[Maulds]

I'm glad none of them were at Lance's funeral. A grieving family should never have to see these imbeciles and their insipid signs.

 

[dt3]

I'm glad none of them were at Lance's funeral. A grieving family should never have to see these imbeciles and their insipid signs.

Fox was showing video of it this morning. One sign said "Thank God for IED's". You don't even wanna know some of the stuff I'd do to that spineless piece of shit.

 

[Maulds]

You and me both man.
YouTube - Westboro Gets their ass kicked

 

[Peter Parka]

Wow, what a loving Christian attitude they are showing. People like that give religion a bad name!:mad

 

[dt3]

I wonder who's gonna step up and defend their first amendment rights :ninja

 

[dt3]

Know how to tell you're a worthless piece of shit? Even the ACLU won't speak up in your defense in a First Amendment case

 

[GraceAbounds]

Wow, what a loving Christian attitude they are showing. People like that give religion a bad name!:mad

Personally, I think that folks like Fred Phelps are all about man-made religion and nothing to do with God. I think he is leading his flock straight to hell.

 

[skyblue]

is nothing sacred?

 

[Ria]

That is so nasty and cruel/sick even.

The gross indecency of it all and the low life to feel they have a right to perform like that is beyond anything humane.

I feel for his family suffering to have lost him in the first place, then having to suffer all that.

They don't deserve that at all, they have done nothing wrong. :mad

 

[All Else Failed]

as much as I absolutely fucking despise people that would do this, it is their right to do so....like it or not. ALTHOUGH, there ARE laws that make the protesters have to be a certain distance away from the funeral procession, and that would be useful.


I don't understand how people could be this hateful. This stupid and insensitive...thats fundamentalism for you.

 

[dt3]

as much as I absolutely fucking despise people that would do this, it is their right to do so....like it or not. ALTHOUGH, there ARE laws that make the protesters have to be a certain distance away from the funeral procession, and that would be useful.


I don't understand how people could be this hateful. This stupid and insensitive...thats fundamentalism for you.

This is from the article, and I think it shows why it isn't their right:

"U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett instructed jurors at the start of testimony Tuesday that the First Amendment protection of free speech has limits, including vulgar, offensive and shocking statements.
Bennett said the jurors must decide "whether the defendant's actions would be highly offensive to a reasonable person, whether they were extreme and outrageous and whether these actions were so offensive and shocking as to not be entitled to First Amendment protection.""

I think we can all agree that the statements are both extremely offensive and shocking.

 

[Ria]

as much as I absolutely fucking despise people that would do this, it is their right to do so....like it or not. ALTHOUGH, there ARE laws that make the protesters have to be a certain distance away from the funeral procession, and that would be useful.


I don't understand how people could be this hateful. This stupid and insensitive...thats fundamentalism for you.

I disagree this is anyone's right under those circumstances they were there for, to be at such a personal funeral. I don't think this is allowed here at all as far as I am aware. They just should not be allowed anywhere in sight of the funeral, nevermind a certain distance from it - that is just so wrong!

 

[UncleBacon]

I would pull the trigger given the chance

 

[All Else Failed]

This is from the article, and I think it shows why it isn't their right:

"U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett instructed jurors at the start of testimony Tuesday that the First Amendment protection of free speech has limits, including vulgar, offensive and shocking statements.
Bennett said the jurors must decide "whether the defendant's actions would be highly offensive to a reasonable person, whether they were extreme and outrageous and whether these actions were so offensive and shocking as to not be entitled to First Amendment protection.""

I think we can all agree that the statements are both extremely offensive and shocking.

I actually disagree with that, because that means that it could be used to squash anything the people in charge do not like. Saying shocking statements should be allowed. Look at what are founding fathers were saying. As long as it's not a threat against anyone, I think everything else should be allowed.


These people are sub-humans, I think we can all agree on that. Although no matter how bad we hate them, they aren't threatening anyone. I hate to say that too, since I completely can't stand these people.

 

[All Else Failed]

I would pull the trigger given the chance

That just makes you 10X's worse than them, if you ever did that.