We Might Be Liberals, We Might Be Conservatives, But I Bet We Can All Agree on the WBC

It is a sweet sweet day and not just because I accidentally ate 95 fun-size snickers bars playing "piece for me, piece for them" while giving out candy to trick-or-treaters. It is a sweet day because a federal jury in Maryland has ordered the Westboro Baptist "Church" to pay $10.9 Million in damages to the family of Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder whose funeral the "church" protested. Snyder was killed in Iraq in 2006 and the jury agreed with the family that the protesting of their son's funeral by Fred Phelps et al. violated their right to privacy and caused emotional distress. The WBC is notorious for protesting anything they can in support of their belief that anything bad that happens in the US or to Americans is because of America's "tolerance for homosexuals". Although they have picketed dozens of military funerals, this is the first lawsuit to be settled against the group. I imagine it won't be the last.

The Snyder family lawyer told the jury that they should award the family an amount "that says don't do this in Maryland again. Do not bring your circus of hate to Maryland again". I think $10.9 million is a pretty good number, but I can't imagine they'll be able to come up with the cash. I highly doubt any of them are able to fit earning an honest living into their busy schedule of protesting the funerals of America's heroes and "hating fags".