Talk Radio News Service: News, Politics, Media

By Alexa Gitler
Talk Radio News Service

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) met with reporters Friday to discuss his plea to urge the Supreme Court to protect the right of military families to a peaceful private funeral. “The Synder family, as well as other military families have been robbed of the proper chance to say goodbye and that needs to end,” Reid said.

The funeral of Marine Lance Corporal Matthew Snyder, an American soldier who died in combat in Iraq in 2006, was marred with ugly, hateful protests by a Kansas church.

Reid, along Joe Davis of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), Phil Riley of the American Legion and Steve Stobridge of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), filed a brief with the Supreme Court on Friday seeking the prohibition of protesting during military funerals.

According to Riley, the brief “is not a freedom of speech issue...but a right to privacy that must be respected.” 48 U.S. state legislatures have agreed to sign on to the brief, which also has bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate.

“I have a responsibility to provide for the common defense and to take care of the military,” Reid said. “The very least we can do for the families during their time of mourning is to make sure their privacy is respected.”