I think we can all agree that protesting at the funeral of a dead soldier is a distasteful, classless, heartless, despicable act. I am of course referring to the offensive protests of the Phelps family of Westboro Baptist Church. What we might, but should not disagree on is whether or not this is a first amendment case. Most of you say it is because you have been taught Supreme Court precedent and not the Constitution. I respectfully dissent.
The first 10 amendments to the Constitution were written and ratified to erect bulkheads against the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT passing laws and acts or judicial rulings in the area of religion, the press and free speech, these matters were left to the sole discretion of the states. Anyone that is “for a return to the Constitution” must therefore then be for a return to the Bill of Rights as it was ratified but alas, most conservatives and Tea Party members do not want this return.
These protests are a matter for the towns where they are organized to occur in, to vigorously oppose with dedicated anti-Phelps crowds wielding pitchforks and torches and if that doesn’t work, try bare knuckles.
To restore and uphold the sovereignty and rights of the individual States as guaranteed by the tenth amendment of the United States Constitution, which states, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."
