This is sickening! The Judges who made this ruling should all be disbarred and the protestors should be ashamed. This is why the Law should be these idiots who want to protest get a permit and be made to act as responsible human beings and NEVER BE ALLOWED TO PROTEST AT ANY FUNERAL, LET ALONE A SOLDIERS FUNERAL.

Had they pulled this shit at a funeral involving any of my family members I would have gotten arrested (with a few dozen brothers, cousins) because we would have punched these idiots in the face. This is why Courts and the legal system get a bad name.

Dad of a fallen Marine perseveres against protests at military funerals

A father of a Marine killed in Iraq says he won’t pay the legal fees of a protest group who picketed at his son’s funeral in 2006. Albert Snyder, whose son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, was killed in Iraq, learned Friday that a federal appeals court is requiring him to pay more than $16,000 in legal fees to the Westboro Baptist Church, a Christian fundamentalist group that demonstrates during military funerals to gain attention for its antigovernment, antihomosexual message. The group rallied at Matthew Snyder’s funeral in March 2006 in Westminster, Md., chanting antigay slogans and carrying signs such as “Thank God for dead soldiers,” says Albert Snyder’s attorney, Sean Summers.

The group was protesting about 30 feet from the church’s main entrance, and Mr. Snyder had to enter through a separate entrance, Mr. Summers says.

Snyder subsequently sued the Westboro group for emotional distress and won a $5 million judgment. But on appeal, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed, finding in favor of protecting the protesters’ free-speech rights. About three weeks ago, the Supreme Court agreed to take the case and is expected to hear it in the fall. (Last year, the high court had declined to take up the issue.) Meanwhile, the circuit court has ordered Snyder, a salesman, to pay the church’s court expenses.

PS: Bill O’Reilly has offered to foot the bill because he agrees that these judges are asses.

State Rep. Colleen Garry passes along these two items about activity in the House Today.

House passes two good bills today:

1. Creating a tough crime on assault and battery on nurses and other emergency room personnel.
(This is long overdue and so glad it passed)

2. Requiring all bars and restaurants to carry liquor liability insurance to protect those injured by overserved patrons!

Okay was I the only one shocked to find out this wasn’t already a law?

Small businesses won $3.6 billion in tax breaks from the House last week.

The biggest incentive would increase the exclusion from capital-gains tax on small-business stock — normally 50 percent but raised by the Recovery Act to 75 percent for equity acquired in 2009 and 2010 — to 100 percent for stock acquired through 2011. A second provision would allow taxpayers to treat venture-capital loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration as “at-risk” financing, which would increase the amount of deductions a business could take.

The bill would also temporarily increase, for 2010 and 2011, the deduction for small-business start-up expenses from $5,000 to $20,000, and raise the upper limit for deductible expenses (above which the deductible begins to phase out) from $50,000 to $75,000. Finally, the bill would limit the penalty for failing to report on a tax return a “listed transaction” — that is, a transaction that the Internal Revenue Service has formally identified as a scheme to avoid taxes.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said the Senate would take up its own small-business bill in mid-April or May, after the Easter recess. Mr. Manley would not indicate what incentives the Senate was contemplating.

According to the latest rumors we may have an announcement in the next few days that current School Committee member John Leahy will be running for the open Senate seat against Eileen Donahue.

John , whose father Dan held the seat for two terms from 1993 to 1996, has been on the School Committee since 2003 and has a strong popular well-known large family that would make him a very viable candidate. His Dad still has contacts across the district.

John would run a very aggressive race and be a formidable challenger. It would prove to be a good race here in the city, pitting the popular Leahy clan against Donahue who many believe will have current Sen. Panagiotakos and his machine in her corner either publicly or working behind the scenes. It could split Lowell and would make the surrounding towns more critical for both candidates.

If he were to survive the primary and win the general election he would not have to give up his School Committee seat but could serve out the term. If he were to resign the seat would go to Regina Fatacanti.

Has his signs for the School Committee race stayed in the windows of the Kearney Square Law Offices since last years elections or are they up again to keep the name in the spotlight? I noticed them yesterday but didn’t remeber if they had been there since last November or not.

The Political Season sure is shaping up to be a great one for political fans and bloggers.

Again showing the conviction to stand behind her beliefs and in her continuing effort to meet her constituents, Congresswoman Niki Tsongas has scheduled a telephone Town Hall meeting with anyone in the 5th district who is interested tomorrow Wednesday evening March 31st to discuss the impact of health-care reform.

The Lowell Sun also has the information on its Web site and I’m sure will have a story in tomorrow’s paper.

The conference will start at 7 p.m. Congresswoman Tsongas had previously scheduled the question-and-answer session for last week, but it was canceled when the voting wasn’t complete.

If you want to ask questions and hear the Congresswoman call 888-886-6602, and enter 14420# as an access code.

I give the Congresswoman credit for her continuing effort to reach the people of the district.

The Bill may not be perfect but it will help cut the cost of healthcare for the small businesses (I work at one and we have researched this) and by 2014 will provide some tax releif for families.

Bay State’s share (From Today’s Globe)