Free Speech and the Christians who Hate Catholics

The US Supreme Court ruled 8 to 1 in favor of the Westboro 'Baptist' Church yesterday. A Supreme Court made up primarily of Catholic judges upheld the 'right' of this inbred, psychotic group of Catholic and Jew Haters to stand outside the funerals of American Service Men and Women and shout horrors at their grieving families. They get to hold up signs that read "God Hates Fags" and "Priests Rape Boys" and (my personal favorite) "Thank God for Dead Soldiers". They target specific people - particularly Catholics and Jews - because they KNOW we are not going to hit them back. We are going to be hurt, we are going to be angry but we are not going to attack them....unless you consider the spiritual attack we unleash when we hold them up in prayer.

Only one man was brave enough to stand up and shout, "This is not free speech, this is BAD BEHAVIOR". So today, Justice Alito is my hero and I don't care how much my Liberal Friends hate him because he is a Conservative Judge...the man has guts, had the ability to see beyond the Ivory Tower that is The Law and look deeply into the very heart of the matter:

Since when does bad behavior get elevated to a 'Right'?

The Phelps family - a bizarre and mentally unstable group of people who believe God has spoken directly to them and told them to do these horrible things - have had their psychosis validated by the US Supreme Court. Frankly, the only differences between the Phelps and Charlie Sheen are these:

1. There are more Phelps

2. Charlie has more money

I have written before on the subject of the need for a Magisterium and the Phelps family underscores the wisdom and beauty of the Catholic Church. It is obvious to anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear that Jesus Christ said, "Upon this rock I will build my Church" for this very reason: left to our own devices, us human beings can rationalize just about ANY behavior as doing God's Will.

We NEED a Church - not just a denomination but a CHURCH - precisely because without one we start hearing voices and thinking it's God telling us to pack up our many children and drive across the country so that we can inflict pain on a grieving parent.

We NEED a Church - and not just a personal 'Jesus and Me' relationship with Christ - because without one we are liable to open our Bibles and see specific passages that direct us to shoot a doctor providing abortions, or blow up a clinic - and we will start to think that unless we do what we THINK we have read we will be punished by God.

Truth is Truth. This much we know - Truth is objective and it can be discovered and it does not rely upon my belief in it to BE Truth. However, our relationship to Truth must be rightly formed and guided lest we think that burning a cross on our neighbors lawn, beating up a young boy and leaving him on a fence to die or waving disgusting, obscene signs at the funeral of a Marine is Divinely Inspired.

Divine? Satanic, more likely - The Phelps are so knee deep in evil they think it is good. They cannot differentiate between the Truth and the Lies of Satan.

True Christians are called to forgive and to pray for these vipers. I will do that - but I am telling you right now, if something happens to MY soldier and these Satanic Nut Jobs show up at my parish, they are going to be met with a wall of Harley Driving Patriots who will not let them anywhere NEAR St Joseph's.

At some point during the past 75 years we as Americans have become so self-centered, so damn selfish that we think we have a 'RIGHT' to do whatever we want, no matter who it hurts. My vulgar speech offends you and you ask me to stop? I take you to court. My horrific behavior on the public street causes you shock and dismay? Tough toenails, it is my RIGHT to stand on a float and simulate sex acts during a 'pride' parade. Show horribly, sexually explicit television shows at 7:30 in the evening? You don't like that? Well, too bad baby don't you DARE say a thing - don't you DARE infringe upon my rights.

Rights.

On the Hive I watch a grown man make idiotic statements and call ME a heretic - a guy who believes Martin Sheen is a secret Jew because 'Sheen' is a Jewish word and old gaelic looks like ancient Hebrew. Now he has the right to say such stupid things, but the minute he starts bad mouthing my Church his rights STOP, as far as I am concerned. He does not have the 'right' to be stupid, foul and idiotic - he has the ABILITY, and that is very different.

We pride ourselves on pushing the envelope but while doing so we have lost the ability to be reasonable.

May Our Lady comfort Mr. Snyder today...and May St Michael the Archangel defend us in battle - the battle against evildoers like the Phelps.