How Free Is It?

I don't usually comment on the doings of such as the Phelps family church because they're disgusting people and there's a lot else to discuss. But this looks interesting.

The question is, once again, what are the allowable limits on the exercise of fundamental rights. I've noted before that there is no such thing as an absolute right: any individual's right to do anything must have limits if society is going to survive. The problem with the Phelps family is that they have no sense that others have rights, too -- of course, if they had any sense, they'd join a real church.

By engaging in the activities they do, they endanger everyone's right to free speech, simply because they have been irresponsible in their exercise of the same right.

This case is going to the Supreme Court, and frankly, we can't count on this Court to support constitutional rights or to draw reasonable limits on the exercise of those rights. Either way, this is going to be a problem.