"First Amendment"

     Shirley Phelps-Roper, is a political activist who tries to use the First Amendment to defend her actions. She uses the First Amendment as an excuse to go picket solders funeral. While the devastated families have to bury their fallen heroes, they are left to deal with a group not to far protesting at their loved ones funeral. Shirley Phelps-Roper is the daughter of the Pastor from Westboro Baptist Church; this church believes that God hates America and that the reason why people are dying is because its God wants to punish this country. She believes that we shouldn’t sent solders to fight for a country that believes in gay rights. She thanks God for 911 and often uses her most loved phrase ““Thank God for dead soldiers.”It is sick to see her and her so called “church” picket a solders funeral. I strongly believe that she does not deserve the protection of the First Amendment because she uses the excuse of freedom of speech to condone her acts of protest. In 2006 President George W. Bush signed into law the “Respect for America’s Fallen Heroes Act”. This law broadly prohibits any type of demonstration unless the demonstration has been approved by the cemetery superintendent or the director of the property on which the cemetery is located.” But even so this still leaves room for this group to protest, once approved by the cemetery those group can still protest 150 feet from road and 300 feet from the cemetery, one hour before and after. I have seen a lot of people use the first amendment to excuse their wrongful doing, but I have never seen someone take it this far. So much has changed in the last 200 years, and some of the laws placed back then do not apply for this century. I strongly believe that we need to make changes to the United States Constitution to banned people like Shirley Phelps-Roper, who wrongfully uses the First Amendment to condone her actions.