Zach Parker, High School Senior, Writes Bill To Ban Military Protests

Zach Parker learned just weeks ago in his senior history class about bans on military funeral protests in 40 states nationwide. When given an assignment to find a political issue to write about, the 17-year-old seized the opportunity to take the legislation one step further, and drafted a bill that would ban protests nationally -- in all 50 states.

According to Maine's WABI, news of the teen's legislation proposal caught the attention of Westboro Baptist Church, a group known for protesting military funerals.

Parker presented his ideas at an open community forum Wednesday night.

WABI reported:

While the Westboro Church group did not show up for the presentation, about 200 former military members from both the VFW and American Legion were in attendance to show their support.

Now Parker's legislative ideas are beginning to reach a larger audience. The morning after his presentation, Parker appeared on "FOX & Friends" to talk about his class project.

WATCH:

According to WABI, Parker said at the presentation:

"Military protesting at funerals -- protesting against social and political that aren't really relevant to the funeral -- I think is infringing on rights to gather peacefully. [This is] about putting proposed legislation in place to protect men and women of the armed forces. "

Legislators are listening. Both senators from Maine, Susan Collins and Olympia Snow, sent representatives to Parker's presentation.

Read more about the teen's proposal at WABI.

Comments

[Num1Christy]

12:37 PM on 01/11/2011

People want to claim that the First Amendment covers ALL speech, it actually doesn't. Your free speech rights stop when they infringe on anothers rights.

[Patrick Ryan Gentry]

12:22 PM on 01/11/2011

The definition of irony: "Honor" those who died to ensure Americans have freedom by restrict the Constitutional right of Americans!

Only a nation as ignorant as ours would do such idiocy! Political Correctness is the death of freedom in this nation and all those who died fighting to protect our rights are rolling in there graves that such oppression is being enacted in there memories!

Shame on us for killing the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and spiting in the faces of the men and women who died protecting it!

[crowepps]

04:00 PM on 01/11/2011

While I agree with you that people absolutely have the freedom to say whatever they wish to say, I don't think there is any right to invade the lives of other private citizens to say it, or to use the private funerals of men and women who died protecting that free speech as publicity events for self-promotion. Our right to free speech cannot be restricted by our GOVERNMENT. It should absolutely be restricted by CIVILITY and the right of other people to be left alone.

[MichaelHaberstroh]

06:32 PM on 01/11/2011

Patrick, this may sound off-topic and petty - but I would urge you brush up on the correct usage of "there / their / they're".

I mention this only because you seem eager to communicate effectively. It's just one of those common, embarrassing grammatical errors that - if made repeatedly as you've done throughout this discussion - can distract from a writer's credibility.

[mollybeejay]

06:21 PM on 01/12/2011

Michael, fanned and faved. I cringe whenever I read some of these grammatically incorrect postings. This is basic 7th grade English.

[hagagaga]

10:33 AM on 01/11/2011

In my AP government class in sophomore year, part of my gay rights bill ("Fred Phelps Decency Act") was making it a felony to cross state lines in order to disrupt a funeral, punishable by up to seven years' imprisonment.

[Patrick Ryan Gentry]

12:36 PM on 01/11/2011

This doesn't apply here the protesters are outside the funeral and if you tried to use this law to infringe there right to free speech and peaceful assembly it is a unconstitutional and immoral law.

There message is hate filled but they present it in a peaceful manner, and they have a right to do so. The men and women who's funerals they protest died to guarantee them that right.

Do not try and rob them of there honor by destroying the document they died protecting!

Political Correctness < US Constitution

[crowepps]

01:03 PM on 01/12/2011

The Supreme Court has already approved the constitutionality of "Free Speech Zones", where the government has the right to restrict the time, place and manner of speech SO LONG AS the restrictions are "neutral with respect to content, narrowly drawn, serve a significant government interest, and leave open alternative channels of communication." Considering that the message on the signs of the Phelps' clan are pretty obviously "fighting words" (we're glad your loved one is dead) some restrictions should be allowed.

[mollybeejay]

06:23 PM on 01/12/2011

There is no honor in disrupting the funeral of anyone for any reason.

[Christopher Easterling]

09:37 AM on 01/11/2011

The entire idea of the first amendment is that people aren't going to like what other people have to say, yet, they have a right to say it because although every single person on the planet may disagree with them, they could be right. Everyone else could be wrong. By limiting speech we are arrogant claiming to know all that is true and right, which most certainly is not the case and most likely will never be so. If people ban speech that is abhorrent then we ban all progressive though because it too challenges the mainstream view.

Freedom of speech can only work so long as we are truly free to speak our minds. The world is a dangerous and unforgiving place, who are we to hide for words we don't wish to hear?

www.thewhiteflag.us

[clayboggess]

08:29 AM on 01/10/2011

As much as he might disagree with this group and their actions they are protected by the first amendment. Although I too believe that their acts are offensive that unfortunately doesn’t make them illegal. It would seem more logical that if Westboro Baptist Church was against wars they would do better to protest the policies and the people who make the decisions about the wars. The soldiers are only doing what they are told. Of course the group is only getting the attention that they are seeking because of their controversial approach.

Clay Boggess
http://www.bigeventfundraising.com

[genrel1248]

10:24 PM on 01/08/2011

Perhaps this teenager should be educated in the meaning of the constitution and bill of rights. Living in a society which values free speech, one must accept reprehensible speech as long as it does not result in violence.

[A Watcher]

08:26 PM on 01/09/2011

Free speech ends where someone's rights begins. These families have a RIGHT to mourn their loss in peace WITHOUT people like this intruding on such a private, painful moment.

[genrel1248]

07:25 AM on 01/10/2011

Ummm....No they don't and...no they don't. You are confusing what you percieve as morally right with a garaunteed constitutional right. 2 different things. You have no right to be protected from speech which you personally don't like.

[Patrick Ryan Gentry]

12:27 PM on 01/11/2011

Where in the US Constitution does it mention a right to mourn????

I remember a Right to free speech and a right to peacefully gather in public (protest), I missed the right to mourn their loss in peace though. Which Amendment is that?

Constitution is the supreme law of the land, your right to protest and free speech only ends when you threaten violence or become unruly. You seek to kill the Constitution in honor of those who died defending it, the irony of that!

Even if this law does pass it is still unconstitutional because it violates the first amendment right to free speech and gather in public.

[Megan Faxel]

01:13 PM on 01/08/2011

I think its great that teenagers are standing up for what they believe in. Yes, these people do have the right of freedom of speech ,but is it really morally right? This young man is brave to take a stand against the horrible protesting that the Westboro Baptist Church has been doing. Although this church has the right to say whatever they want ,their protests have taken it to a level that they should be ashamed of themselves. These men and women have died for their country and this church has the nerve to intrude on their funerals. In my eyes i find this very disturbing and should be put to an end.

[Patrick Ryan Gentry]

12:29 PM on 01/11/2011

So honor there sacrifice by trying to illegally destroy the very thing they died fighting for the US Constitution?

[lcr999]

10:00 PM on 01/07/2011

I think maybe he should read the part of the constitution that covers free speech.

[P.F. Bruns]

10:25 PM on 01/07/2011

I think maybe you should reread the article. He asserts that the protesters are infringing upon the rights of the mourners to peaceably assemble, which is part of the First Amendment, and part of freedom of speech. You cannot deny someone else the right to speak freely to assert your own.

[JStading]

12:24 AM on 01/08/2011

I watched, his argument is immaterial and reflects a lack of understanding that I would expect from a high school kid.  The Constitution is concerned only with state action - the actions of the government and its branches.  For example, if Parent tells Child to stop talking about an alternative religion, the Parent has not committed a 1st Amd. violation.  If Public School tells child that he cannot practice an alternate religion (unless some exception applies), the school has violated the First Amendment. 

His proposed bill would be wildly unconstitutional and would lead to mischief (e.g. I, as President, am holding a 24hr/365 day funeral in every public park in Washington D.C. - have I just banned political protests from the city?).

[Acert]

02:16 AM on 01/08/2011

There is nothing stopping them from peaceably assembling. I find the Westboro Baptist Churches protests to repulsive and unconscionable, but they do have a right to protest, and banning them from doing so would violate their rights to free speech an peaceable assembly.