[Vision2020] Two issues in one

[Phil Nisbet]

This just out.  When gay bashing Nazi Aryan Churchs do anti-War Protests  
who you going to call?

Motorcyclists Roll to Soldier Funerals By RYAN LENZ, Associated Press Writer
Tue Feb 21, 6:11 AM ET

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - Wearing vests covered in military patches, a band of 
motorcyclists rolls around the country from one soldier's funeral to 
another, cheering respectfully to overshadow jeers from church protesters.

They call themselves the Patriot Guard Riders, and they are more than 5,000 
strong, forming to counter anti-gay protests held by the Rev. Fred Phelps at 
military funerals.

Phelps believes American deaths in     Iraq are divine punishment for a 
country that he says harbors homosexuals. His protesters carry signs 
thanking God for so-called IEDs — explosives that are a major killer of 
soldiers in Iraq.

The bikers shield the families of dead soldiers from the protesters, and 
overshadow the jeers with patriotic chants and a sea of red, white and blue 
flags.

"The most important thing we can do is let families know that the nation 
cares," said Don Woodrick, the group's Kentucky captain. "When a total 
stranger gets on a motorcycle in the middle of winter and drives 300 miles 
to hold a flag, that makes a powerful statement."

At least 14 states are considering laws aimed at the funeral protesters, who 
at a recent memorial service at Fort Campbell wrapped themselves in 
upside-down American flags. They danced and sang impromptu songs peppered 
with vulgarities that condemned homosexuals and soldiers.

The Patriot Guard was also there, waving up a ruckus of support for the 
families across the street. Community members came in the freezing rain to 
chant "U-S-A, U-S-A" alongside them.

"This is just the right thing to do. This is something America didn't do in 
the '70s," said Kurt Mayer, the group's national spokesman. "Whether we 
agree with why we're over there, these soldiers are dying to protect our 
freedoms."

Shirley Phelps-Roper, a daughter of Fred Phelps and an attorney for the 
Topeka, Kan.-based church, said neither state laws nor the Patriot Guard can 
silence their message that God killed the soldiers because they fought for a 
country that embraces homosexuals.

"The scriptures are crystal clear that when God sets out to punish a nation, 
it is with the sword. An IED is just a broken-up sword," Phelps-Roper said. 
"Since that is his weapon of choice, our forum of choice has got to be a 
dead soldier's funeral."

The church, Westboro Baptist Church, is not affiliated with a larger 
denomination and is made up mostly of Fred Phelps' extended family members.

During the 1990s, church members were known mostly for picketing the 
funerals of     AIDS victims, and they have long been tracked as a hate 
group by the Montgomery, Ala.-based Southern Poverty Law Center's 
Intelligence Project.

The project's deputy director, Heidi Beirich, said other groups have tried 
to counter Phelps' message, but none has been as organized as the Patriot 
Guard.

"I'm not sure anybody has gone to this length to stand in solidarity," she 
said. "It's nice that these veterans and their supporters are trying to do 
something. I can't imagine anything worse, your loved one is killed in Iraq 
and you've got to deal with Fred Phelps."

Kentucky, home to sprawling Fort Campbell along the Tennessee line, was 
among the first states to attempt to deal with Phelps legislatively. Its 
House and Senate have each passed bills that would limit people from 
protesting within 300 feet of a funeral or memorial service. The Senate 
version would also keep protesters from being within earshot of grieving 
friends and family members.

Richard Wilbur, a retired police detective, said his Indiana Patriot Guard 
group only comes to funerals if invited by family. He said he has no problem 
with protests against the war but sees no place for objectors at a family's 
final goodbye to a soldier.

"No one deserves this," he said.

___

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