Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Military Funeral Protestors

In a case pitting free-speech versus privacy rights, the nation's highest court held that the picketing at a private funeral and even hurtful protest messages were protected by the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment. The decision by an 8-1 vote was the latest in a long line of Supreme Court rulings that free-speech rights protected even outrageous or offensive conduct, including the burning of the American flag.

The ruling was a defeat for Albert Snyder, the father of a Marine killed in Iraq in 2006. He sued after the family's funeral service at a Roman Catholic Church in Westminster, Maryland, drew unwanted protests by members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. The protesters carried signs that stated, "God Hates You," "You Are Going To Hell," and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers."

It seems to me that Freedom of Speech has taken on a whole new meaning. I was to understand that Freedom of Speech was supposed to stop short of yelling "Fire" in a crowded theater. I will say that I admire the restraint of Mr. Snyder because if I was burying my son who had died defending his country, I would have invoked my rights under the 2nd amendment of the constitution. I can assure you that the bodies of the Westboro Babtist Church protesters would have been strewn along the funeral procession route.

On a sad note, Actress Jane Russell passed away Monday night, at her home in Santa Monica, California. The cause of death was respiratory failure. Russell was best known as a Hollywood bombshell from the days of pinup girls and big brassy musical numbers.

Jane Russell was the brunette answer to Marilyn Monroe, and even starred (and sang) opposite her in the film "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." The two had their names and claims to fame inextricably tied together when they each received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Ms. Russell was 89 years old.

The News As I See It: The price of gas here was up to $3.50 a gallon. When I started pumping, it was only $3.30.

Everyone is saying we have to take control of Moammar Gadhafi. Hell, we can’t even control Charlie Sheen. Sheen has officially gone crazy, and not just a little crazy. Even Gary Busey thinks he’s nuts.

Christian Bale won the Best Supporting Actor award for playing a mentally unstable drug addict. Then Charlie Sheen said, "You can get an Oscar for that?"

The movie "King Kong" opened 78 years ago. It’s the story of a woman that gets carried away by an ape. Coincidentally, that's the same thing happened to Maria Shriver.

A town in Arkansas has had three earthquakes in under 24 hours. They think it could be due to removing waste water which is known as "fracking." I don’t know what fracking is, but it sure is fun to say.

Twitter was down for two hours on Saturday. It was terrible. I had to call random people in the phone book and tell them what I had for lunch.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has suggested that people under the age of 18 should be banned from tanning salons. I believe that parents that take their kids to tanning salons should be banned from parenting.

This Date In History: 1836; Texas declared its independence from Mexico. 1877
Rutherford B. Hayes was declared president by a U.S. electoral commission since the original result was too close to call. He was the only president elected this way. 1917; Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory and Puerto Ricans gained American citizenship.

1923; The first issue of Henry Luce's TIME magazine appeared on newsstands. 1933; King Kong, starring Fay Wray, premiered in New York City. 1949; Captain James Gallagher completed the first non-stop around the world flight. He completed the 23,452-mile journey in 94 hours, 1 minute.

1956; Morocco gained independence from France. 1962; Philadelphia Warriors center Wilt Chamberlain scored an NBA-record 100 points in a basketball game. 2001; The Taliban began the destruction of ancient Buddha statues in Afghanistan.

Picture Of The Day: It's been a crazy day and the pictures I've selected sort of represent my frame of mind. I really like this picture of "Monster Cat In New York City" and it's my pic of the day.

Printable Things I Never Told You: 1) Humpty Dumpty was pushed! 2) The early bird gets the worm, but look what happens to the early worm. 3) What kind of cruel, demented person put an "s" in lisp? 4) I chose the path less traveled by, but only because I was lost. 5) When you see people write really long things on a napkin, do you ever think to yourself, "Wouldn't that fit better on a paper towel?"......and that's five !

Today's Birthday Horoscope: Pisces - March 2nd: The sounds of fairies in your head are brought on by the alcohol. It may be time to stop drinking this week. You will find you get better sex advice if you stop talking to what you call "little people" in your nearby park. Jail sentences between 5 and 10 years may be applicable to your situation today.

Much of what you believe now will later be shattered by an obnoxious man who will probably wear glasses and have a distinct lisp. Half of what I say is meaningless...the other half is pure gold. Deft swift strokes of the hand when writing may be the turn-on that a female work companion needs to show their true feelings for you. However, that love may vanish when you realize that the letter is a final written warning and a suggestion that you clear out your desk before security arrives.

Birthdays: Samuel Houston, frontier hero and statesman 1793, Dr. Seuss, author of children's books 1904, Tom Wolfe, journalist and novelist 1931, Mikhail Gorbachev, political leader 1931, John Irving, writer 1942, Jon Bon Jovi 1962.

The AREA 51 Retirement Home Bar and Grill: A hooded robber burst into a Texas bank and forced the tellers to load a sack full of cash. On his way out the door, a brave Texas customer grabbed the hood and pulled it off revealing the robber’s face. The robber shot the customer without a moment’s hesitation. He then looked around the bank and noticed one of the tellers looking straight at him. The robber instantly shot him also.

Everyone else, by now very scared, looked intently down at the floor in silence. The robber yelled, "Well, did anyone else see my face?" There are a few moments of utter silence in which everyone was plainly afraid to speak. Then, one old cowboy tentatively raised his hand, and while keeping his head down said, "My mother-in-law got a pretty good look at you."

Two old ladies, Sunny and Tina, were outside their nursing home having a smoke, when it started to rain. Tina pulled out a condom, cut off the end, put it over her cigarette, and continued smoking. Sunny asked, "What's that?" Tina answered, "A condom." Sunny said, "Where'd you get it?" Tina replied, "You can get them at any pharmact."

The next day, Sunny hobbled into the local chemist and announced to the pharmacist that she wanted to buy a pack of condoms. The guy looked at her strangely (she was, after all, in her eighties), but politely asked what brand she preferred. Sunny replied, "Doesn't matter, as long as it fits on a Camel."

The Hits Just Keep On Coming:

A man walks into the dentist's office and after the dentist examines him, the dentist says, "That tooth has to come out. I'm going to give you a shot of Novocain and I'll be back in a few minutes." The man grabs the dentist's arm, "No way! I hate needles. I'm not having any shot!" So the dentist says, "Okay, we'll have to go with the gas." The man replies, "Absolutely not! It makes me very sick for a couple of days. I'm not having gas."

So the dentist steps out and comes back with a glass of water and says, "Take this pill." The man asks, "What is it?" The dentist replies, "Viagra." The man looks surprised and says, "Will that kill the pain?" The dentist, "No, but it will give you something to hang on to while I pull your tooth!"

An old man walked into a crowded waiting room and approached the desk. The receptionist said, "Yes sir, what are you seeing the Doctor for today?" The old man said, "There's something wrong with my dick." The receptionist became irritated and said, "You shouldn't come into a crowded waiting room and say things like that." The old man said, "Why not? You asked me what was wrong and I told you."

The Receptionist said, "Now you've caused some embarrassment in this room full of people. You should have said there is something wrong with your ear or something and discussed the problem further with the Doctor in private. The man replied, "You shouldn't ask people questions in a roomful of strangers, if the answer could embarrass anyone."

The man walked out, waited several minutes, and then re-entered. The receptionist smiled smugly and asked, "Yes?" The old man said, "There's something wrong with my ear." The receptionist nodded approvingly and smiled, knowing he had taken her advice. She asked, "And what is wrong with your ear, Sir?" The old man answered, "I can't piss out of it."

The doctor said to the old man after the examination, You're in remarjable shape for a man yout age." The old gentleman said, "I know and I've got only one complaint. My sex drive is too high. Got anything you can do for that, Doc?" The doctor's mouth dropped open. "Your what?!" The old man said, "My sex drive. It's too high, and I'd like to have you lower it if you can."

The doctor, still unable to believe what the old gentleman was saying, said, "Just what do you consider 'high'?" The old man replied, "These days it seems like it's all in my head, Doc, and I'd like to have you lower it a couple of feet if you can."

That's it for today my little cactus flowers. Remember, a lot of people have heard opportunity knocking at the door, but by the time they unlocked the chain, pushed back the bolt, turned two locks, and shut off the burglar alarm, it was gone. It's hump day and a fine reason to head over to AREA 51 for happy hour. More on Friday.

Stay Tuned !