BULLSH*T!  It's VERY American, if unpleasing to whiny, lick-the-boot-of-their-masters twits.  Do Westboro's activities does offend?  Most certainly.  Does inoffensive speech require protection?  Most certainly not.  Even if it could be said that such antics rise to the level of "fighting words" (thus ineligible for FIRST AMENDMENT protection), the father could not make that claim; as noted "Dad" didn't even know what the signs said until he saw the news that night.