Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
Prosecutors Defend Flag Desecration Law
PAPILLION, Neb. (AP) — Sarpy County prosecutors on Friday tried to justify flag-desecration charges against a member of a Kansas church whose members believe that U.S. troop deaths are punishment for the nation’s tolerance of homosexuality.
Authorities say Shirley Phelps-Roper let her 10-year-old son stand on an American flag at the funeral of a National Guardsman in June 2007 in Bellevue. They also say she wore a flag as a skirt that dragged on the ground.
Phelps-Roper is a member of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., which was founded by her father, Fred Phelps. The church has become known for its members carrying signs that read “God Hates Fags”, and “Thank God for dead soldiers”, at military funerals nationwide.
Phelps-Roper argues that Nebraska’s law against flag desecration violates her right to free speech.
Her attorney, Bassel El-Kasaby, said the five methods defined under Nebraska law as flag desecration are open to interpretation, leaving people confused about how they can use the flag in a protest.
But prosecutors say the law is valid because it leaves open other methods of protest and only prohibits mutilating, defacing, defiling, burning or trampling a flag.
Authorities say Shirley Phelps-Roper let her 10-year-old son stand on an American flag at the funeral of a National Guardsman in June 2007 in Bellevue. They also say she wore a flag as a skirt that dragged on the ground.
Phelps-Roper is a member of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., which was founded by her father, Fred Phelps. The church has become known for its members carrying signs that read “God Hates Fags”, and “Thank God for dead soldiers”, at military funerals nationwide.
Phelps-Roper argues that Nebraska’s law against flag desecration violates her right to free speech.
Her attorney, Bassel El-Kasaby, said the five methods defined under Nebraska law as flag desecration are open to interpretation, leaving people confused about how they can use the flag in a protest.
But prosecutors say the law is valid because it leaves open other methods of protest and only prohibits mutilating, defacing, defiling, burning or trampling a flag.
 |
 |
|
| Neb. Court Sides With Would-Be Adoptive Parents | Survey: Little Confidence In Rural Economy |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
Submit a Comment
We encourage your feedback and dialog, all comments will be reviewed by our Web staff before appearing on the Web site.
Not registered yet?
