Bills would limit freedom of speech

To the editor:

Within the last three weeks the Missouri Senate passed Senate Bill 578 unanimously, and the Missouri House passed House Bill 1026 153-2. These are bills to restrict our free speech but are specifically aimed at some really slimy people, a small group from Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas. These are the people who protest and wave anti-military signs at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq. They say these soldiers were killed by God to punish the United States for harboring gays.

While I think what these people do -- protest at funerals -- is offensive, disgusting, unpatriotic, disrespectful and outright wrong, none of these things is, nor should ever be, illegal. There is no right to not be offended in the U.S. Constitution or Missouri Constitution.

One hundred eighty-five of our 187 voting state legislators voted to protect our feelings and abridge every Missourian's First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and to freely assemble. Only two representatives voted against the bill, state Rep. Terry Young, D-Jackson County, and state Rep. Tom Villa, D-St. Louis. The governor has stated he would sign either bill. Since these bills are slightly different, they must go through a joint committee to bring them into agreement. Time is short. Now is the time to contact the governor and your legislators to stop this restriction on our First Amendment rights.

These bills can be found at the www.senate.mo.gov and www.house.mo.gov Web sites.

JOHN MITCHELL, Jackson