[Updated at 9:15 p.m. ET] Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signed emergency legislation Tuesday night setting limitations on protests at funerals. The bill is aimed at the Westboro Baptist Church, which plans to picket the funerals of those who died in Saturday's shootings.
[Posted at 5:50 p.m. ET] The Arizona Legislature unanimously has passed a bill meant to stop church from protesting at funerals of Tucson shooting victims.
The vote was 29-0 in the state Senate and 58-0 in the state House. A spokesman for Gov. Jan Brewer earlier told CNN that she was prepared to sign the bill.
Read more about the legislation
JB. Use some common sense on this one. They are doing the right thing for a change!
Politicians are calling for calm and stating the rhetoric must stop. However it appears the People do not want that. After reading the posts here it seems Americans are ready to kill each other for their respective beliefs. The rest of the world can see the implosion your country is headed to if this continues, why can't Americans(note I said Americans, not Reds or Blues)
I agree that protests should not be held at THESE funerals. But what about creating a law from protesters at ANY funeral. Too many times I've seen and heard of protesters at funerals of those who served our country and we do nothing about it. To me, this should be a right given to all.
I meant *for ANY funeral.
What state do they live in?
guess you can call me a wacko........for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ,for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who BELIEVES. HALLEUJAH.
allosaurus would eat your jesus
and poop him out
Westboro takes it in the ***
Pay respects to the dead and the living. This is the focus. Don't forget this.
Yes, bar these cruel people from demonstrating; their actions are distasteful and toxic. Write your local papers and TV stations and ask that no media coverage be given these cruel, unconscious people. Let's look deep within ourselves and ferret out our own curiosity about them and let free that attachment to their antics.
Wish them well, even pray for them, that they may become human(e) and find healing for the darkness of their souls.
Actually, I'm really surprised someone hasn't taken this church (cult) out yet. They are horribly mis-led.
Theres been a few attempts...
I am not supportive of Westboro or anything they have to say, but I am concerned that the pain and loss these families are feeling is seemingly more deserving of privacy and protection than the families of the thousands of military service members that have been that have had to worry about the funerals of their loved ones being interrupted by these people.
Arizona can't control what the other 49 states do. Obviously this is not a retroactive law. .
Why didn't they raise this much stink for protesting the funerals of my fellow soldiers coming back from Iraq?
Trust me, they have, and in many cases the local municipalities have gotten burned for it because of First Amendment issues. Leave it to slime like the WBC to make a mockery out of the First Amendment...
Many states tried. The Supreme Court blocked them. But with the way the law works, this emergency action will have its intended effect on this one time incident.
Sorry but only in America were this slime like the WBC can get away with what they do
This is one of our rights that these people take advantage to dishonor our fallen brothers and sisters in arms
And now they also want to hurt innocent families that already are suffering with the worst lost
The lost of a child
Finally, a state with some BALLS!!!! I doubt the founding fathers had these nutjobs in mind.
About time they put a stop to the stupidity
(-_-)
" a bill meant to stop CHURCH from protesting "? Do we really mean CHURCH or perhaps something else. I'm pretty sure that Westboro Baptist doesn't represent the CHURCH. It is too bad that many really will look at this group and think CHURCH. They will think that this is what it really means to follow Christ. WOW!
It's the Baptist Church. Aren't they the same ones who love GW Bush and Sarah Palin?
Let's surround them with large televisions and make them watch "Jersey Shore" over and over,
The freedom of speech is about being able to say things about the government and the state without fear of being persecuted for it. The freedom of speech and press is about the right for people to know about what's going on around them, instead of being kept in the dark and led by fear and oppression. It is NOT and was NEVER meant to be abused the way that people today do, spewing hate speech and evil and vulgarity as they please. It is NOT there to allow people to cause misery and pain in the way that WBC does, and it is NOT a get out of jail free card that anybody anywhere can just flaunt when they have a message to get out. Anyone who claims that "Yeah, well..we may not like what they have to say but...you know, the freedom of speech..." needs to open a history book!
Agreed.
Finally someone is standing up to these so called guardians of truth hiding behind the guise of being a church. They are nothing but a group of hateful people
that wish to bring suffering to families that are already grieving for there own wishes of self importance in there meaningless lives. I applaud the Arizona legislature for their actions and hope that
other states will take the same action when these scavengers of hate come to their borders.