Interesting one now, Arizona just passed a law barring the Westboro Baptists from protesting at the 9-year-old's funeral, though they've just increased the distance one has to be from an active funeral if you're protesting, and hope to avoid violence from biker gangs and other citizens' groups that are determined to counter-picket

Seems like everyone just wants to attention-whore this for their own ends, huh?

no. The city is doing the right thing by creating a larger buffer zone for those paying their respects for the dead.

The counter picketers are also doing a good deed by trying to keep these Westboro assholes from making an already horrible situation worse. The counter picketers will have massive white "wings" that they will carry standing straight up to hopefully keep the Westboro people hidden from the family/friends of the dead girl.

As a Tucsonian, I am glad the city is quickly acting against this travesty of free speech.

I was referring to Westboro as far as attention-whoring. The citizens' groups are doing the right thing, though i hesitate to agree on a free-speech impinging law, it is a tamer way to do it if it needs to be done.

Also people in general. Various political figures have scrambled for attention in this mess

It doesn't impede their right to protest. Just adds a safety zone as tensions and emotions will already be high and I think any sane person would agree that Westboro's tactics for spreading their beliefs are wrong and very anti-(fill in with any religion/belief structure).

True. It's a question of danger, but i'll be interested to see if Westboro sues against it, given that they've got their day in court with the Supreme Court

YEP , It's not government of the people, by the people, for the people. It'government of the corperation, by the corperation, for the corperation.

What I find disgusting is that so shortly after this has happened, politicians have used the tragedy to push their own agendas and attack their own political enemies.  Where is the mourning?  Where is the class?  Are the Democrats so upset over losing the House that they are really willing to use the first tragedy of '11 to try and hurt the right?  Even after finding out that the shooter has no ties to them, and if anything has been described as "leaning left?"

They need to drop this, drop it fast, and then apologize for even blaming Palin or the Tea Party without having any facts.  Then allow the country to fully take this in and come to terms with it.  If not, they are just going to end up looking foolish and petty in the end.  Though, I fully believe many of them will let their pride get in the way of that.  The people using this tragedy, without even letting 3 whole days pass, to try and push their political agenda have lost most, if not all, of their humanity.  And the ones who jumped in this forum pointing fingers without any facts, either, aren't much better.

People should hang out and picket their church.  Also, whenever a member dies, picket their funeral.  Picket the house of the pastor also.  You set up ground rules and then have the side that is a problem regret doing what they are doing.  The battle is for the court of public opinion here.

RFK, Jr. on the Huffington Post: "HAY DOODS GEUSS WHAT GLEN BECK KILLD MY UNCLE OR SOEMTHING LOLZ (LEE HARVY WHO)"

Unbelievable. What a pack of ghouls. I feel sick to my stomach watching this spectacle play itself out, and sicker still to know that in a year or two I'll likely remember the revolting display of political opportunism that followed the shooting more than I will the incident itself.

An interesting way to portray one man's call for greater sanity