Word today that a Baltimore jury awarded 10.9 million dollars to the parents of the late Matthew Snyder, an Iraqi War soldier whose funeral was protested by none other then Fred Phelps and members of his family, all of whom lead the Westboro Baptist "church". The jury held Phelps & family liable of defamation, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

In fact, the “church” regularly protests the funerals of fallen soldiers claiming that the mounting death toll in Iraq is God’s way of making the USA pay for liberal policies that embrace homosexuality.

I first heard of Phelps and his crew when they protested another Matthew’s funeral many years ago. Matthew Sheppard’s funeral services were polluted by Phelps and his family as they hoisted signs of hate while Sheppard’s family mourned the devastating loss and violent end to their son’s life.

I finally got to meet the Phelps in 2000. As a civil servant working on Center City hate crimes for the Human relations Commission, it became my job to stop the Phelps from blockading the entry to the William Way Center. I mention this not because I did anything unusual. I was just doing my job. I mention it because I’ve witnessed their brand of terror firsthand.

That being said, lets just say I was less than courteous and down right impolite to the Phelps family and "un-civil-servant-like" in my one-on-one interfaces with them. I wear my politics on my sleeve and I make no apologies for that in this case.

And as much as I am a defender of First Amendment rights and I believe even the right to spew even the most despicable messages from the most abhorrent people should be protected, there is a line that is crossed in the Snyder case (and I think the Sheppard funeral). There is a point, at times, when speech is used as a weapon to intimidate, to injure, to inflict distress, to harass and to interfere with one’s individual rights. The right to bury your son without intrusion. The right to access a reproductive health clinic without being called killer. The right to access a community center without being told AIDS cures gays.

In Pittsburg, a friend of mine by the name of Sue Frietsche is the Senior Attorney in that city’s Women’s Law Project. Several years ago, Sue crafted (and the Pittsburg City Council passed) a buffer/bubble bill that protects women’s access to health care facilities and their right to seek medical treatment without having to dodge threats and harassment by zealots who border on, in my opinion, domestic terrorists. And best of all, so far, it has withstood Constitutional challenges.

I think Philadelphians would be served well if we examined the Pittsburg law and attempted to replicate here. But not just for women seeking reproductive health services. I think we should cautiously think bigger in making sure that the Matthew Snyders and Matthew Sheppards of this city (and let’s hope there aren’t any fatal victims of war or hate in this city’s future) get the same type of protection. In short, I think it should ultimately be illegal for anyone to hide behind our Constitution to terrorize and intimidate fellow citizens.

I'm sure very level headed people might disagree but I think the debate and dialogue is certainly one worth having.