free-speech vs hate-speech

Of all the reasons to protest at a military funeral in the United States these days, this one has to be by far the most ludicrous and obscene. A traveling posse of six hate-filled church members attends the funerals of soldiers because they:

[believe] that God is killing American soldiers because they fought for a country that tolerates homosexuality.

This is their message: Your son's in hell for supporting the Immoral States of America. You can't really argue that the US doesn't have free-speech when nuts like this are allowed to preach their hatred at a solemn moment like a funeral. Of course, hats off to the motorcycle veterans who cordone off the nut jobs with some good verbal abuse of their own.