At a time when they should be celebrating a victory in court, as I am as well, the Christian group that had all charges against them dropped in court is now griping about wording in the judge's decision. And naturally, the Worldnutdaily is leading the way:
While applauding Judge Pamela Dembe's dismissal of all criminal charges against four Christians arrested last year for evangelizing at an outdoor homosexual event, the American Family Association expressed outrage over Dembe's "hateful and bigoted comparison of peaceful Christians to these hate-filled groups.""We are one of the very few countries that protects unpopular speech," Dembe said after viewing a videotape of the arrests. "And that means that Nazis can March in Skokie, Ill. ... That means that the Ku Klux Klan can march where they wish to. We cannot stifle speech because we don't want to hear it, or we don't want to hear it now."
"It is very disturbing that in her statements Judge Dembe compared the activities of Repent America to those of Nazis and the KKK," said Diane Gramley, president of the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Family Association in a release. "In light of all that these Christians have been through in the last few months to have the judge compare what they did in October to the demonstrations of two of the most notorious white supremacist hate groups in American history is unbelievable."
No, what's unbelievable is that even in victory, these groups cannot stop playing demagogue. The judge did not compare the defendants in this case to the KKK. She did not even say that what the defendants said was offensive in any way. She simply pointed to how all-encompassing the first amendment is in the United States, that even something as offensive as the KKK's ideology still gets legal protection. Therefore, it absolutely must protect the far milder statements made by this group. I swear, the persecution complex is so reflexive for these people that they can find a cloud in every silver lining.
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Why are they so upset? The Nazis and the KKK were/are also Christian groups.
As for their whining, it reminds me of something Bill Maher said last Friday: Do not pity the martyr; he loves his job. (I'm paraphrasing. He said it was a quote but I could not find the source - and I looked for over 2 minutes!!)
You've got to love WorldNetDaily. Have you seen their latest discovery, that Satan is going to save Saddam? http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42924
Priceless.
Peacefully organising to express your beliefs makes you a neoNAZI and, in Philadelphia, gets you tried for inciting a riot and hate speech, if you happen to oppose a gay march. Let's see if I understand freedom of speech:
1. The right to assemble and speak freely is only a right if you agree with a popular cause.
2. Christians have no rights to their beliefs.
3. All religious expression must be ruthlessly removed in the name of freedom of speech.
4. Anyone who disagrees and openly expresses their disagreement is immediately guilty and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
My gosh, George Orwell was an optimist.
Long-time reader, first-time commenter, but the sheer audacity of someone saying they have no rights after a judge has specifically protected them has prompted me to ask if the need to feel persecuted over-rides the ability to perceive reality.
Bob: the Christians won. Complaining about being tried sounds like, as Ed said, desperately trying to find the cloud in the silver lining. Don't worry, I fully expect Repent America to be back out lovingly and compassionately telling homosexuals that they're going to roast in a fiery hell for all eternity if they don't change their ways. Christians have lost nothing.
My gosh, George Orwell was an optimist.
I don't think I'll ever understand this mindset. Did you not read the part where the defendents had the case thrown out? In the US, when you have an overzealous prosecutor you also have multiple checks on their abuse of power. In this case, the very first check worked - the judge dismissed the case before it ever even went to trial. And that decision is being applauded even by people on the other side of the issue. Yet you still feel the need to engage in this ridiculous hyperbole where you pretend that this situation is actually worse than Orwell's dystopic visions? I will never understand this kneejerk martyr complex.
Complaining about being tried sounds like, as Ed said, desperately trying to find the cloud in the silver lining.
Well, I think there is a legitimate complaint about being tried. The prosecutor should never have brought the case, and I think the lawsuit that they have filed against the prosecutors for abuse of power probably has a realistic chance of winning. And I think it's probably legitimate. There is reasonable cause for complaint. But to compare this situation to Orwell and say that he was an optimist, meaning this is even WORSE than the dystopia he imagined? That's just sheer stupidity.