funeral protesters???? UPDATE

[momsgoofy]

Yes, this group has been in our area to protest a couple of times at the funerals of service members who've died since the war in Iraq began. Fortunately, in southern Illinois we have many vets who were present, (some on bikes and some not), as well as others who didn't agree with the group being present at the funeral and they did what they could to make their presence less visisble and audible for the family.

For Illinois, protesting at a funeral for any individual is now against the law because of this group of people. The state legislators from my area were not happy and helped to pass the new law through recently.

So, to the OP...the advice given here has been great! I wish you the best in beating this group. Be sure what the law is in your area on community demonstrations...do they need a permit? is it even allowed? Then be sure you can do whatever possible to ensure the group isn't there. That may mean you make a call to that police friend or the mayor of your city or even your local senators and representatives to do what can be done to make sure the grieving family is allowed to bury their loved one with the respect and diginty he/she deserves.

I know before one of the funerals a couple of the local TV and radio stations and the local newspapers would not print anything about it because they did not want to give press time to the yahoos. I disagree...spread the word and beat them at their own game! Show them they cannot do such things to people...it is NOT the christian way!!!! Of all God's commandments, the most important isn't even on those tablets...."Love one another as I have loved you". This group of whatever yo want to call them could learn to do that.

Okay, soapbox is closed for now! Thanks for your time!

 

[Mickey's sunshine]

akhenaten- first I want to say thanks! Thank you for doing what you can to protect the family on this day. It saddens me so much to hear of those idiots protesting at our hero's funerals.

I was going to give you a link to the Patriot Guard but I see Deb took care of that. My brothers company recently lost a brother and the PG was there to protect the family - a person that I knew who went to the funeral said it gave her such a great feeling - pride.

Again, thanks for thinking of the family, this from a very proud sister of a US Marine.

And to our hero - Semper Fi.

 

[lovemygoofy]

Army wife here who has had a few encounters with the group of trash and I will tell you from experience. The best thing to do is IGNORE THEM. Yes I know that sounds hard(and trust me it surely is) but if you round up your friends or neighbors or whatever, do a SILENT protest with your back to them. First and foremost this is a funeral for a fallen hero and the the family. They don't need the circus that it will be. There will be oh about 5 family members maybe 10 tops come from the Phelps family and then all of your town will turn out and of course the media will be there. Hence the circus comes to town.

I have come to learn all this the hard way but its the best way to handle it. Another option is honestly finding a marching band or bagpippers or drown them out with the national anthem or the marine core song or anything patriotic. God bless the fallen hero

 

[DISUNC]

The disgusting website now has a funeral on Wednesday in Missouri listed -- is that where you are OP?

How can normal Americans participate in this filth in the name of God? Operation Save America is headquartered in my community, and even they don't do funerals. They do get children arrested and display gigantic pictures of fetuses while yelling things about gays and Muslims through a loudspeaker, however.

"normal Americans" That aint what they are!

 

[Froggyswife]

I dwell on the fact that when judgement day comes these people will get what is coming to them for using God as a way for them to preach their prejudices. HE will take care of them.

 

[akhenaten]

The disgusting website now has a funeral on Wednesday in Missouri listed -- is that where you are OP?
QUOTE]

No I am not from Missouri. I really do not want to print my state because I do not want in any way to contribute to the funeral becoming a circus as lovemygoofy described!

But sadly I am sure that the wackos already know ....even though I have not seen it listed on their site yet.( and I hate even going there to look for it...I feel dirty just looking at their website!)

Apparently a relative of the fallen marine is a Patriot Guard rider so I am pretty sure they will be there and that the family is aware of everything they must guard against......

I will be trying to speak with the Mayor (he is a neighbor ) but he has been out of town.....I don't know if he can get back for the services.....I truly hope he does....

Thank you all for you thoughts and well wishes........I will keep you all informed......

 

[ZachnElli]

They passed a law here too making protesting a funeral illegal because of this group. They are sad, sad people!

 

[Deb in IA]

Deb in IA, How do you know that these people protesting are "Fred Phelps" gang?

I have never heard of Fred Phelps before, so I just googled his name.... What am I missing here.

DISUNC, this group is the only one doing this type of activity. They are hateful and evil, but they are not stupid. Most of them are relatives of Fred Phelps, the founder, who was a Baptist minister (although most Baptist branches do not acknowlege him), and many of them, incredibly, are actually attorneys. They started out protesting at gay-themed events -- they came to our church several years ago, on Palm Sunday, as our community was producing the play "The Laramie Project", the story of the murder of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man in Wyoming.

They must have felt that they were not getting enough publicity, so they started protesting at military funerals, saying that God is punishing the US for the tolerance of homosexuality in the military. And remember I told you they are lawyers? Well, they try to PROVOKE confrontations, and then sue you for assault. And I was very, very saddened recently to hear that the ACLU has decided to take up their cause and argue AGAINST their banning from funerals, saying that this is an impingement on their First Amendment rights to free speech.

akhenaten, I hope all goes well for your community and the family. I think between the Patriot Guard and pointedly IGNORING these idiots, they will get NOTHING from you, because they don't deserve your attention.

 

[DISUNC]

DISUNC, this group is the only one doing this type of activity. They are hateful and evil, but they are not stupid. Most of them are relatives of Fred Phelps, the founder, who was a Baptist minister (although most Baptist branches do not acknowlege him), and many of them, incredibly, are actually attorneys. They started out protesting at gay-themed events -- they came to our church several years ago, on Palm Sunday, as our community was producing the play "The Laramie Project", the story of the murder of Matthew Shepard, a young gay man in Wyoming.

They must have felt that they were not getting enough publicity, so they started protesting at military funerals, saying that God is punishing the US for the tolerance of homosexuality in the military. And remember I told you they are lawyers? Well, they try to PROVOKE confrontations, and then sue you for assault. And I was very, very saddened recently to hear that the ACLU has decided to take up their cause and argue AGAINST their banning from funerals, saying that this is an impingement on their First Amendment rights to free speech.

akhenaten, I hope all goes well for your community and the family. I think between the Patriot Guard and pointedly IGNORING these idiots, they will get NOTHING from you, because they don't deserve your attention.

Thanks! I recieved some answers in above post!

You write "although most Baptist branches do not acknowlege him"..WOULD YOU? YIKES. I am a bit suprises that not ALL Baptist branches do not acknowledge this vulgarity!

"the ACLU has decided to take up their cause and argue AGAINST their banning from funerals"...No suprise here! My quess is somebody has to do it!

 

[Deb in IA]

You write "although most Baptist branches do not acknowlege him"..WOULD YOU? YIKES. I am a bit suprises that not ALL Baptist branches do not acknowledge this vulgarity!

I am no longer a member of the Baptist church, so I can't answer that. I know there are several branches of Baptist churches (Southern Baptist, American Baptist, etc). Phelps is the leader of the Westboro Baptist Church.

 

[agnes!]

Anybody (in the FP case any *FOOL*!) can start an organization and call it a "Baptist church", but that doesn't mean the organization is Christian or even that the individual group is affiliated with any larger Baptist church denomination. Many Baptist churches are independent true Christian congregations run by Deacons/Board of Trustees and are often unaffiliated with a larger group.

It would be interesting to know what law schools the cult member/lawyers graduated from. They might score high on intelligence tests and be able to pass bar exams, but they sure are ignorant about Jesus & the true meaning of his teachings. Jesus himself did not condemn the woman caught in adultery, Jesus himself sat down & ate with known sinners, associated with the dregs of society, washed the filthy feet of his Apostles before his death. He was a "man of sorrows" who never owned a house, never wrote a book, supposedly only owned the clothes on his back and was so poor that he was buried in a borrowed tomb. He supported himself before his public ministry by being a carpenter, certainly a blue-collar job of the day.

I like the idea of silent protest, standing with backs to the cult members and having the Patriot Guard on deck to rev their engines if/when the cult starts spewing their disgusting filth.
And if they do show up at this hero's funeral, the FP cultists shouldn't get any media attention, either. If you cut them off from their lifeblood of notoriety(thereby cutting off possible funding), then the cult will die off like the cancer that they are.

Now ask me how I truly feel ...

agnes!

 

[wdwcoltsfan]

Our small town had to deal with this about three months ago. The motorcycle group came to help offset their presence. They basically created a shield between the protestors and anyone at the funeral. They held up flags and sang hymns to help drown out the protestors. I know there were other people in the comunity who also stood with the group to try to show support for the family. It's because of this lunatic church that our legislators passed a new law about protesting at funerals. I don't know all of the specifics of the new law, though.

I'm so sorry you are having to go through this. This "religious" group is an embarassment to religion.


Rachel

 

[Nancyg56]

I saw a clip about this group on the news this morning. It really hit home because we lost a young Marine last week. It is so sad to pass his home and see the yellow ribbons awaiting his return, and knowing that the day his family takes them down will not be the joyous return they prayed for. I never realized that these groups were allowed to taint a private grieving process.

My sister's DH rides with a group who is always riding for the community. I will ask if they plan on providing a protective shield for the family.

 

[Jpgirl]

We had those mut cases protest our church and community college (hiring gays and having gay ministers). We weren't attending this church yet, but I saw pics in the paper and the accompanying article. I support the right to protest but these people are absolutely ridiculous. Whatever you do DO NO engage with them-that's wah they want. I am horrified that they're doing this at military funerals. We have enough people here on the dis boards-maybe we should all chip in and send them one way tickets to IRAQ and really give them something to cry about ( as my dear old dad would say). Oh well that's the great thing about America everyone is allowed an opinion and a voice. But still I get angry over them showing up at funerals

 

[DeborahA]

Several days ago in a small town near me they showed up at a funeral. They were met with the Patriot Guard and a lot of the community. Flags were flying, lining the street, singing hymns so loud that the protestors could not be heard. What saddened me the most was the pictures of these people getting out of their cars with their children. They were carrying signs of hate and yelling right along side of the parents. Our state is passing a law to keep them away.
Deb

 

[CarolA]

Get your car and RUN over the IDIOTS!

This is wrong, there is NO excuse and if I ever see these IDIOTS I may just go start slapping some of them.. they need some sense slapped into them!

I hope they rot in you know where... Their idea of Christianity is an EMBARASSMENT!

 

[DISUNC]

Get your car and RUN over the IDIOTS!

This is wrong, there is NO excuse and if I ever see these IDIOTS I may just go start slapping some of them.. they need some sense slapped into them!

I hope they rot in you know where... Their idea of Christianity is an EMBARASSMENT!

 

[akhenaten]

UPDATE:

My community of Little Ferry NJ was able to pay tribute to our fallen hero , Marine Sgt. Matthew J. Fenton age 24, with dignity. He was struck by shrapnel in Iraq's Al Anbar province on April 26 after alerting his comrades to the presence of a suicide bomber. All escaped serious harm except Matthew who died at the Bethesda Medical center on May 5 after receiving the purple heart at a bedside ceremony.

Thousands of my neighbors lined Liberty street for 1/2 a mile to honor and line the procession route from our Borough Hall( where the wake was held) to St. Margarets Church for the funeral . There was complete silence for the 25 minutes it took for the solomn procession......young little league players held hats over hearts and aging veterans held a salute with shaking hands as a mournful lone drumbeat was the only sound heard.
The Patriot Guard and the Nam knights lined the route with their motorcycles and it is quite a moving sight to see ( and also comforting to know that good folks like these are protecting and honoring our military families)

Matthew had wanted to become a police officer either in our town or our county after he left the Marines and he was made a Little Ferry police officer this past friday, badge # 44 retired.

We can never repay this family for the sacrifice of their son.......I only hope that in some small way the community support during this time can help them ....


Thank you all for the support here and I hope that we can all help to see that laws are passed to protect grieving families for those extremists who seek to twist a time of personal grief and use it to advance their own sick platform.....

 

[Nancyg56]

I am so sorry that your community has gone through the heartbreak of laying a young Hero to rest. Our little town is in the process of sending a young Marine on his Journey, and it is a sobering ordeal. He came home yesterday, and as in your town, thousands lined the streets along the way in order to pay tribute. It was so quiet as his family and his Guard passed by. I don't know if our presence is a small consolation to his family, but I can only pray that we are helping to support them as they have made the supreme sacrifice.

Our little state has lost two Marines this month.

 

[transparant]

Sounds like a beautiful yet heartbreaking tribute to such a wonderful Hero. May he forever rest in peace. God Bless his family at such a sad time.