Hecklers harass families of US soldiers killed in Iraq

[shotglass]

Breitbart.com (http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/03/12/060312122104.pgrezzqi.html) - Five women sang and danced as they held up signs saying "thank God for dead soldiers" at the funeral of an army sergeant who was killed by an Iraqi bomb.

For them, it was the perfect way to spread God's word: America was being punished for tolerating homosexuality.

The Westboro Baptist Church first gained national notoriety when they picked the funeral of Matthew Shepard, a Wyoming student who was murdered in 1998 for being gay.

Many found it hard to hide their anger when Margie Phelps, the daughter of Westboro's founder, called out "All this for little old us? Oh, you shouldn't have. I feel so special," before she started singing "the Pope, the Pope, the Pope is on fire. He don't get no water let the heretics burn" in front of a Catholic church.

"I don't have any sympathy for these parents. They're all going to hell," Phelps said. "The family's in pain because they haven't obeyed the Lord God."

The group is so outrageous that some among the extreme-right have speculated that Phelps is a plant aimed at giving the anti-gay movement a bad name, said Mark Potok, the director of the intelligence project at the Southern Poverty Law Center which tracks hate crimes.

"I don't think they have any constituency beyond their own members - even the Nazis aren't interested," he said.

(Westboro founder Fred) Phelps' virulence and frequently graphic condemnations of anal sex could mask a deeper issue than a radically literal interpretation of the Bible, Potok speculated.

"This man probably thinks more about gay sex than any other person in the United States of America and one can only guess at what that means," he said. "Many of the most homophobic people are deeply afraid that they might be gay."

Full story. (http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/03/12/060312122104.pgrezzqi.html)

...might secretly be gay... :laugh:

[Barb101]

http://horrorhalloffame.com/bressler2/shatsuck.gif

[glockmail]

"Many of the most homophobic people are deeply afraid that they might be gay." I love it how gay activists use gay as an insult.:hehe:

[melendipity]

Shoot 'em along with the Mexicans.

How friggin' insensitive. :nolike:

[BCP]

Shoot 'em along with the Mexicans.

How friggin' insensitive. :nolike:Watchu gonna do? It's the INSENSITIVITY POLICE!

[Farouka Hookah]

I saw this story on CNN. Simply disgusting.

[glockmail]

I heard there was some biker gang following these kooks around and shutting down their demonstrations.

[Barb101]

There are bikers that try to block the protestors with flags from the families.

There are a few states that have bills going to the house that bans picketing & protest marches within 300 feet of a funeral service one hour before, during & two hours after the service. Kansas being one of them & I heard 13 more states are considering a bill now.

[Rguess21]

Bikers roll to military funerals to oppose anti-gay protests

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/02/21/funeral.motorcyclists.ap/index.html

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.

[glockmail]

http://www.patriotguard.org/

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[melendipity]

Phelps believes American deaths in Iraq are divine punishment for a country that he says harbors homosexuals.

Have him committed under some Mental Health Act. He sounds like a Paranoid Schizophrenic with Ideas of Reference. Haul his ass out of the media limelight. :nolike:

[BCP]

Have him committed under some Mental Health Act.You're fucking scary.

[glockmail]

Have him committed..... He has a right to speak his mind. We have a right not to listen.

[melendipity]

He has a right to speak his mind. We have a right not to listen.

There's a time place for everything.

Maybe he should try a more appropriate public forum :what: which he hasnt , but instead uses funerals of dead soldiers, speaks volumes.

Commit him .. for a psych evaluation under the guise of public nuisance

[gopsdragon]

Commit him .. for a psych evaluation under the guise of public nuisance

What do you mean under the guise? It's pretty clear cut to me that some John Wayne needs to give him an attitude adjustment. I'd love to beat his ass...one Christian to another.

[shotglass]

I don't think this guy is actually a Christian. He sounds more like an anarchist hiding behind a crucifix.

[gopsdragon]

I don't think this guy is actually a Christian. He sounds more like an anarchist hiding behind a crucifix.

Then I'd love to beat his ass Christian to heathen. Thankfully I can ask for forgiveness later. ;)

[glockmail]

Kansas is getting on it:

Funeral protest ban passes Senate
By John Rodgers, jrodgers@nashvillecitypaper.com
March 14, 2006

A Kansas-based church group that often protests military funerals partially spurred a bill restricting those demonstrations to unanimously pass the state Senate Monday.

The bill requires a 500-foot buffer zone between a funeral, burial or funeral procession and its protesters. Those that come closer than 500 feet could be charged with a Class C misdemeanor, punishable up to six months in jail and a $500 fine.

“I think it gives dignity to a solemn ceremony,” said Sen. Diane Black (R-Hendersonville), who sponsored the bill in the Senate. “When people are making a lot of noise and gestures at a time a family is grieving, it’s just not respectful.”



http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=9&screen=news&news_id=48483

[melendipity]

Kansas is getting on it:

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cfm?section_id=9&screen=news&news_id=48483

The bill requires a 500-foot buffer zone between a funeral, burial or funeral procession and its protesters. Those that come closer than 500 feet could be charged with a Class C misdemeanor, punishable up to six months in jail and a $500 fine.





Bingo! :thumbsup: Nobody has to put up with that shit!!

I also bet , that the good Reverand there, is suffering some psychiatric disorder ........

[glockmail]

...

I also bet , that the good Reverand there, is suffering some psychiatric disorder ........

Well he does have some good points: "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them." Leviticus 20:13. "Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." Romans 1:32. http://www.godhatesfags.com/

He's just targeting the wrong audience. Maybe he needs help with his business and marketing plans.

[wrecker05]

I am appalled.:idiot: :nolike: :mad:


Who does this sort of thing at a funeral? At a funeral of someone who swore to protect our country from evil?

*Post edited*

[BCP]

I'm with gops.

Serious, why does it always have to be a law? Why not just grab some able-bodied members of the procession, round 'em up, and kick some protestor ass? THAT'S American.

[glockmail]

...THAT'S American. But is not Christian.

[Farouka Hookah]

But is not Christian.

Its not? Not according to what you quoted to me in another thread:

3. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

To everything there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones,
and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.

[gopsdragon]

Its not? Not according to what you quoted to me in another thread:

Sorry Glockmail, LMAO @ Farouka. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

[Pistol Pete]

And all this time I thought Peter, Paul & Mary wrote that. :woohoo:

[BCP]

But is not Christian.So kicking their ass yourselves is not Christian, but writing a stupid law and passing off the responsibility for ass-kicking to the local police is?

Either way, you're using physical force to dispel the protestors. Physical force of police officers versus physical force of able-bodied mourners. Difference is, doing it in a roundabout manner allows you to feel good about yourself, non-violence and all that.

Half of the civil laws we have in this country exist because people are too chickenshit to communicate and act honestly.

[gopsdragon]

So kicking their ass yourselves is not Christian, but writing a stupid law and passing off the responsibility for ass-kicking to the local police is?

Either way, you're using physical force to dispel the protestors. Physical force of police officers versus physical force of able-bodied mourners. Difference is, doing it in a roundabout manner allows you to feel good about yourself, non-violence and all that.

Half of the civil laws we have in this country exist because people are too chickenshit to communicate and act honestly.

I don't disagree; I just never thought I'd see the day Mr. Hai would become a Presbyterian. :laugh:

[Bucko]

And all this time I thought Peter, Paul & Mary wrote that. :woohoo:

Psst..Pete..it was the Byrds.:Poke: ;)

[glockmail]

Its not? Not according to what you quoted to me in another thread: You are reading that like a Muslim, FH. For you, every time is appropriate to fight, murder, and destroy!:laugh:

[glockmail]

So kicking their ass yourselves is not Christian, but writing a stupid law and passing off the responsibility for ass-kicking to the local police is?

Either way, you're using physical force to dispel the protestors. Physical force of police officers versus physical force of able-bodied mourners. Difference is, doing it in a roundabout manner allows you to feel good about yourself, non-violence and all that.

Half of the civil laws we have in this country exist because people are too chickenshit to communicate and act honestly. I think going abut it in an orderly way is the Christian way. Like the biker deal. Or getting the cops to drag these zipperheads to jail.

Hey, I'd like to beat the crap out of them myself, but that would just make them the victim, and me the bad guy.

[wrecker05]

So kicking their ass yourselves is not Christian, but writing a stupid law and passing off the responsibility for ass-kicking to the local police is?

Either way, you're using physical force to dispel the protestors. Physical force of police officers versus physical force of able-bodied mourners. Difference is, doing it in a roundabout manner allows you to feel good about yourself, non-violence and all that.

Half of the civil laws we have in this country exist because people are too chickenshit to communicate and act honestly.


Hey :nolike: , why are you talways trying to make us cops do the asskicking?
Granted there is always time for "stick time".:evil:

[gopsdragon]

that would just make ...me the bad guy.

Not in my book.:thumbsup:

[BCP]

Hey :nolike: , why are you talways trying to make us cops do the asskicking?
Granted there is always time for "stick time".:evil:That's what I'm saying. Rather than write a law so the police will kick their asses, just do it yourself, yanno?

The biker concept is great; it proves that you don't need a law. Seriously. You write a law, you have to put in detail. You put in detail, you subject everyone to bureaucracy. Eventually your entire life reads like a friggin' zoning code.

Protesting shall be an allowed use, provided, that protestors shall not come within 500 feet of a type I or type II processional. The 500 foot setback may be reduced by up to 50% in areas containing steep slopes or extreme partisanship, and requires a type 18-C conditional use permit. A registered protest as defined under (f) and (j) shall be allowed to demonstrate within 165 feet of a type III processional, provided, that when said processional exceeds 40 people, the required setback shall be increased as shown in table 27.250.84.13-B

[Rguess21]

Father wins millions from war funeral pickets
Anti-gay church protested at ceremony for man’s son, a fallen Iraq Marine

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21566280/

BALTIMORE - A grieving father won a nearly $11 million verdict Wednesday against a fundamentalist Kansas church that pickets military funerals out of a belief that the war in Iraq is a punishment for the nation's tolerance of homosexuality.

Albert Snyder of York, Pa., sued the Westboro Baptist Church for unspecified damages after members demonstrated at the March 2006 funeral of his son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, who was killed in Iraq.

The jury first awarded $2.9 million in compensatory damages. It returned in the afternoon with its decision to award $6 million in punitive damages for invasion of privacy and $2 million for causing emotional distress.

Snyder's attorney, Craig Trebilcock, had urged jurors to determine an amount "that says don't do this in Maryland again. Do not bring your circus of hate to Maryland again."

Church members routinely picket funerals of military personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, carrying signs such as "Thank God for dead soldiers" and "God hates fags."

A number of states have passed laws regarding funeral protests, and Congress has passed a law prohibiting such protests at federal cemeteries. But the Maryland lawsuit is believed to be the first filed by the family of a fallen serviceman.

The church and three of its leaders — the Rev. Fred Phelps and his two daughters, Shirley Phelps-Roper and Rebecca Phelps-Davis, 46 — were found liable for invasion of privacy and intent to inflict emotional distress.

Award 'exceeds the net worth' of defendants
Even the size of the award for compensating damages alone "far exceeds the net worth of the defendants," according to financial statements filed with the court, U.S. District Judge Richard Bennett noted.

Snyder claimed the protests intruded upon what should have been a private ceremony and sullied his memory of the event.

The church members testified they are following their religious beliefs by spreading the message that soldiers are dying because the nation is too tolerant of homosexuality.

“God promised dire outpourings of very painful wrath, and there’s nothing more painful than killing one of your children and that’s what’s going on in Iraq,” church founder Fred Phelps told msnbc.com in a 2006 interview. “That’s what we’re preaching and the forum of choice to deliver such a message, obviously, is the funeral of the kid that’s been blown to smithereens."

Their attorneys maintained in closing arguments Tuesday that the burial was a public event and that even abhorrent points of view are protected by the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech and religion.

Earlier, church members staged a demonstration outside the federal courthouse. Fred Phelps held a sign reading "God is your enemy," while Shirley Phelps-Roper stood on an American flag and carried a sign that read "God hates fag enablers." Members of the group sang "God Hates America" to the tune of "God Bless America."

Snyder sobbed when he heard the verdict, while members of the church greeted the news with tightlipped smiles.

[Spotter]

Bravo! Break the disrespectful mother fuckers :fbomb:

[smutman]

I can understand their hatred of Fags,but they got something screwed up somewhere.

[Rguess21]

http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/01/marine_westboro_protest_080116/

Lejeune commander: Stay away from protesters

By Dan Lamothe - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Jan 17, 2008 19:46:26 EST

The commander of Camp Lejeune, N.C., ordered her leathernecks to stay away from an anti-military and anti-gay group that has promised to demonstrate at the base following the death of a pregnant Marine.

The Topeka, Kan.-based Westboro Baptist Church, which frequently pickets the funerals of military members, said it will demonstrate at the base at noon Saturday.

“God hates the U.S. Marines,” the group said in a statement.

Col. Adele Hodges, base commander, told her troops to “leave the area immediately” if they came into contact with the group.

“Do not attempt to engage in any verbal taunting or physical altercation with this group,” Hodges said, in a written message to the Marines. “We believe they want to generate additional publicity by provoking such a confrontation. Do not help them in this effort by engaging in any provocative behavior.”

Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, 20, was seven months pregnant when she was reported missing from the base Dec. 19. The burned remains of Lauterbach and her baby were found Friday in the backyard of Cpl. Cesar Armando Laurean, who is accused of killing her. A preliminary autopsy found the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head.

Laurean is the subject of an international manhunt. He is a naturalized American citizen with ties to Mexico, where he was born.

The church group announced the planned demonstration on its Web site.

“The wonderful, spit-and-polish Marine [Lauterbach] is over eight months pregnant and says another wonderful Marine raped her, and … now she turns up dead,” the statement reads. “Based on our extensive experience with Marines for over a decade, we can testify that these are typical Marines.”

The fundamentalist church has received national attention in recent years for picketing military funerals, claiming that God is punishing the U.S. for allowing homosexuality.

In October, a Baltimore jury awarded the father of a Marine killed in Iraq $10.9 million in damages after finding that the church had inflicted emotional distress and invaded his family’s privacy by picketing the funeral of his son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder of York, Pa.

The church has appealed the case, and one of its leaders, Shirley Phelps-Roper, said members would continue to picket military funerals.

[austinlacey]

what a bunch of nut jobs. :p

[shotglass]

The church group announced the planned demonstration on its Web site.

“The wonderful, spit-and-polish Marine [Lauterbach] is over eight months pregnant and says another wonderful Marine raped her, and … now she turns up dead,” the statement reads. “Based on our extensive experience with Marines for over a decade, we can testify that these are typical Marines.”


The commander should stop being a woman and let the Marines do what they swore to do, defend the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. These are domestic enemies and should be treated as such.

And these bitches from this "church" should realize that there are a lot of Marines overseas right now being typical Marines, defending their right to be ignorant assholes.

[Ojive]

The commander should stop being a woman and let the Marines do what they swore to do, defend the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. These are domestic enemies and should be treated as such.

And these bitches from this "church" should realize that there are a lot of Marines overseas right now being typical Marines, defending their right to be ignorant assholes.

The old days of Dungaree Liberty would fucking settle any disputes! Then there wouldn't be any protests after PR-24's and riot gear are donned and heads start gettting cracked! It is a travesty what happened to that female Marine and the individual who did it will pay the price when he is caught.