[Vision2020] Two issues in one

[g. crabtree]

In the past I have always thought of the "Reverend" Fred Phelps as a major 
wack job, totally lacking in anything that could even remotely be described 
as decency. After reading Mr. Lenz's AP story,  I can see that I was far too 
generous in my estimation of this odious dickhead. If a one shot first 
amendment repeal were available, heres a perfect place to spend it.

gc
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Phil Nisbet" <pcnisbet1 at hotmail.com>
To: <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Sent: Tuesday, February 21, 2006 6:17 PM
Subject: [Vision2020] Two issues in one


> 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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