Anti-gay church loses in funeral protesters case

Hello on this Thursday, the first day of November 2007. I'm Kristin Volk with a UPI Headline Update.

An anti-gay church has been ordered by a federal jury to pay nearly 11 million dollars. That money was awarded to a father of a Marine yesterday whose funeral was picketed by members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas. Church members showed up at that funeral holding signs and chanting derogatory slogans. They've picketed funerals of dozens of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, claiming that God is punishing the U.S. because of its tolerance for homosexuality. The family sued the church for defamation, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Lawyers for the church argue that funerals are public and the First Amendment protects all points of view.

Both Senator Hillary Clinton and former Senator John Edwards have picked up major union endorsements for their presidential candidate run. Clinton received a nod from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. That union's endorsement was one of the most sought after by the Democratic presidential hopefuls. John Edwards accepted the official backing of the Service Employee's International Union's Granite chapter in New Hampshire. The former senator won the endorsement in a very close vote over Senator Barack Obama.

A top GOP senator is warning that Michael Mukasey's nomination for attorney general is at risk. Senator Arlen Specter says he hopes to have a closed-door session with the retired federal judge because he refused to categorically declare that a controversial interrogation technique, called waterboarding, is torture. However, a senior Democratic senator reportedly says that Mukasey will probably win approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee and the full Senate.

Tropical storm Noel is moving north toward south Florida. Earlier today, it landed in the Bahamas, bringing a downpour of rain and high winds. The storm has already killed dozens of people in the Caribbean, mostly in the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Noel is the 14 named storm of the 2007 Atlantic season and began gathering strength Sunday in the Caribbean.

Thanks for watching today's news headline. For more on these stories and all of the day's news, check out upi.com.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Anti-gay
• homosexual
• Westboro
• Baptist
• military
• Hillary
• Clinton
• John
• Edwards
• Obama
• Mukasey
• waterboarding
• Noel

[LaReinaDelBarrio]

Westboro is a pathetic bunch of maroons!

[ejr23]

I take this as a personal insult. I have 2 cousins in the service (one is in Afghanistan now). If something horrible happened, and these inbred fuckers picketed at the funeral.............I would not hesitate to kill any or all of these bastards!

[chuckyskeys]

The BiBaal has a Homoexual Demons name in the text apollo.....Helel as well has been known to possess people and make them fags his alias is holy. The Holy Bible is a work of sorcery that has brought about unwanted demonic possession of the decieved.

[reymatt76]

The WBC are out to do one thing and one thing only: get media coverage. They were going to protest at the funeral of the 8-year old girl who was killed in a shooting here in Tucson at a Safeway in January. Well, they contacted all the TV stations to inform them and none of the TV stations offered to cover it. WBC's response? They decided it wasn't worth it to come picket if they were getting no media coverage. Deprive them of media attention, and you've just taken away their reason to exist.

[sonnyp7]

God don't like ugly and from the looks of Westboro church AKA Kennel Club Church he hates this church but our church teaches love the sinner even if it is revolting as these woof woofs from West Boro Baptist kennel club.I bet this clowns are against Health Care for everyone too.Just saying you can tell the type by the TEA they guzzle.

[dracatube]

i have a jesus cross in my goodies draw and rosemary beeds use them to rap r ound my balls so you can imagine what i do with the cross stick. when i first used it i put a condom over jesus's legs cos i thought it would scratch but now i just bareback or he goes bare foot hahahaha true true

[texassherri1]

@Cp1Punishment Missing the point? Gay or not these horrible people protested a man after he died for his country. Shame on the crazies. Stop bickering about Gay, straight, Republican or Democrat and focus on the sad reality that such a private and personal celebration of a life can be ruined by anyone for any reason......

[texassherri1]

Missing the point? Gay or not these horrible people protested a man after he died for his country. Shame on the crazies. Stop bickering about Gay, straight, Republican or Democrat and focus on the sad reality that such a private and personal celebration of a life can be ruined by anyone for any reason......

[padude64]

@Poochalot Shirley said I was going to the devil and I tld her that no, you are going to the devil as hate has no answer Shirley!

[padude64]

I am gay and I will say whatever I please! Who is going to stop me? The Tea party sucks and screw you republicunts! You are all the problems in my country and you need to go!

Vote democrat in the mid term elections and get rid of the hate and allow the democrats to get the economy going again and jobs as well!

[padude64]

I told Shirley off personally because I believe in myself as many gay people shall do! Never be ashamed of being gay!

The right wing is screwing this country up so much on the gay issue and I personally know a gay man who is a translator who could have caught Bin laden but ws thrown out of the military!