Freedom of speech-absolute?

[Ali Samana]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/30/westboro.baptist.snyder/index.html?hpt=T2

I read the above article and was very disturbed by it. I believe in freedom of speech as much as the next guy, but like any other freedom, its not absolute. A person who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country should be allowed to rest in peace.

[Mike McKinzie]

The 'problem' with Freedom is that it comes with a very high level of RESPONSIBILITY. The US does not have an absolute Freedom of Speech, ie. you cannot yell FIRE in a crowded theater, you cannot make threats against a high profile person, you cannot blackmail someone, etc...

Morally, you should never use TRUTH as a WEAPON (telling someone they are fat just to be hurtful). But you should use TRUTH for moral and legal justice, such as a witness to a crime.

I could go on, but I just want to prove how much responsibility comes with freedom. Another example is freedom of religion. Everyone is allowed to practice whatever religion they please UNLESS that religion calls for the hurting or killing of someone inside or outside your religion. Human sacrifice, child molestation, religious war, etc... are not tolerable under any circumstance. The Christian Crusades were wrong, any Jihad against anyone is wrong, etc....

There are times that I wonder if the responsibility required by freedom is too much for most people to handle?!?