[Vision2020] Patriot Guard (was: Police to Protect Vandalized Home of Fallen Soldier)

[mekt7 at netscape.net]

Correct me if I am wrong, but how are they getting protest permits?

-----Original Message-----
From: Julie Crumley <joodge at hotmail.com>
To: vision2020 at moscow.com
Sent: Fri, 03 Mar 2006 08:37:40 -0800
Subject: [Vision2020] Patriot Guard (was: Police to Protect Vandalized 
Home of Fallen Soldier)

   This is not limited to the funerals of gay soldiers and servicemen. 
This is happening at the funerals of servicemen and women in front of 
their husbands, wives, children, parents, etc. There is a group called 
the "Patriot Guard" that is working to protect the privacy rights of 
these families. They are a biker "gang" made up of Veterans and their 
friends and supporters who travel on their motorcycles to try to make 
sure families can bury their fallen in peace. From the examples I've 
seen, this Patriot Guard stands as a buffer between these protests and 
the grieving family at funerals, and attempts to drown out the sound of 
their ugly words.

  The "reasoning" of these protestors is that the deaths of 
servicemembers is punishment from God for a nation that "harbors" 
homosexuals. I find it completely disgusting that someone could be so 
thankless and disrespectful at any funeral, let alone at one of a man 
or woman killed in the armed forces. The family responsible for the 
protests is said to be the family of a minister, which includes several 
lawyers, who are making sure they do not break any laws with what they 
are doing, which makes it harder to protect the funerals.

 From CNN.com:

 Bikers roll to military funerals to oppose anti-gay protests

  FORT CAMPBELL, Kentucky (AP) -- 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, Kansas-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, Alabama-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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