This is Impressive

[Qwikshot]

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

[Cringer]

I passed a funeral a week or two ago that was at a place along the freeway. There were a few hundred bikers there, nothing but bikes. Probably noting to do with these guys but it's an awsome sight to see that many bikes.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Wow. I had no idea that there were a group of people jeering at soldiers' funerals because they hate homosexuals. Wow. Just... wow. Rev. Fred Phelps and his ilk are asses of the highest order.

[Wolfpack]

Fortunately, his assininity is largely confined to him and his blood relatives. I can't imagine the level of hate needed to actually do something like this at a funeral. Essentially, they're too chicken to actually do the killing themselves, but not too chicken to "take credit" for it. No better than Bin Laden really.

[st.cronin]

Maybe I have a brain disorder, but what's the logic that dead soldiers get jeered for being tolerant of homosexuals? Is it just me? How does that make any sense at all???

[gottimd]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

Maybe I have a brain disorder, but what's the logic that dead soldiers get jeered for being tolerant of homosexuals? Is it just me? How does that make any sense at all???

I guess you have to think WAY out of the box to understand.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

Maybe I have a brain disorder, but what's the logic that dead soldiers get jeered for being tolerant of homosexuals? Is it just me? How does that make any sense at all???

Phelps says that the US is too tolerant of homosexuals, so whenever a soldier dies, it is God punishing the US for its stance on homosexuality.

[Butter]

"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."

You can't argue with that logic.

Literally.

[Mustang]

A potential law is making its way around Wisconsin right now.


Funeral protest measure advances
Lawmakers hope to limit demonstrations at troops' services
By STACY FORSTER
[email protected]
Posted: Feb. 1, 2006

Madison - In a clash between the constitutional right to privacy and the right to free speech, lawmakers on Wednesday advanced a bill that would limit protests at funerals in Wisconsin.

The measure is intended to curtail protests at military funerals by representatives of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church. Church members have protested outside the services for three Wisconsin National Guard members who died in Iraq. The group says the deaths of the military personnel were God's revenge on the United States for its acceptance of homosexuality.

The bill is headed for a vote in the full Senate today after being cleared Wednesday by two legislative committees.

Some lawmakers raised concerns that the bill would give the protesters too big a platform, but most agreed legislation should be enacted to stop such conduct as long as free speech is not curtailed.

Three representatives from the 80-member church were the only people to testify against the bill during a public hearing Wednesday. They vowed to test the constitutionality of the measure if it became law and they felt their rights were being violated.

"The rule of law in this country is you have to be circumspect and direct when you restrict speech," said Margie Phelps, an attorney for Westboro Baptist Church and daughter of the Rev. Fred Phelps, the church founder.

The bill would require that protesters stay 500 feet from a funeral, wake or memorial service, for at least an hour before it begins and until an hour after it ends. To address the constitutionality issues, the measure is written broadly so that it would apply to any funeral.

Anyone who violated the law would face misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and could be fined up to $1,000 and jailed for up to 90 days.

Sen. Ron Brown (R-Eau Claire) is the bill's co-author and chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans, Homeland Security, Military Affairs, Small Business and Government Reform, which held the hearing in conjunction with the Assembly's Committee on Military Affairs. He said that the measure was a reasonable compromise that lawmakers believe would pass constitutional muster.

"It protects the safety of those who are grieving and those who wish to communicate their message," Brown said during the hearing.

Gov. Jim Doyle has worked with lawmakers to pass the bill and intends to sign it, said spokesman Dan Leistikow.

Before the hearing, the three women from the church staged a protest outside the Wisconsin Veterans Museum, across the street from the Capitol.

The women held signs that said such things as "Thank God for 9/11," and the group sang parodies of songs such as "God Bless America" with lyrics critical of tolerance for homosexuality.

Rep. Terry Musser (R-Black River Falls), the bill's co-author and chairman of the Assembly's Military Affairs Committee, sipped coffee as he took in the protest.

"I wanted to see democracy in action," Musser said. "It never ceases to amaze me that the very people who they're protesting are the very people who give them the right to act like idiots."

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Phelps says that the US is too tolerant of homosexuals, so whenever a soldier dies, it is God punishing the US for its stance on homosexuality.

See, that part I understood (by which I don't mean I agreed). But where I can't get to is how that makes protesting at the dead soldier's funeral an effective (never mind appropriate) way of getting your message across.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

See, that part I understood (by which I don't mean I agreed). But where I can't get to is how that makes protesting at the dead soldier's funeral an effective (never mind appropriate) way of getting your message across.

Well... a lot of people know about it . Otherwise, I doubt most people would have even heard of Phelps.

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Well... a lot of people know about it . Otherwise, I doubt most people would have even heard of Phelps.

In all honesty, I think *most* people who might be sympathetic to his message, were they attending one of those funerals, would instead of thinking "huh, he's got a point" would be thinking "I'd like to kill that motherfucker."

I don't know if I'm right, though.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

In all honesty, I think *most* people who might be sympathetic to his message, were they attending one of those funerals, would instead of thinking "huh, he's got a point" would be thinking "I'd like to kill that motherfucker."

I don't know if I'm right, though.

Well, his message is very kooky. He's the godhatesfags guy. And being a kook, he doesn't want followers who only meet him halfway. He just wants to get his message out.

[Butter]

I think that people like Phelps tend to help homosexual rights in this country more than hurting them.

[dubb93]

Does anyone else think Phelps is lucky to be alive? I could seriously see him protesting the wrong funeral and ending up in a coffin himself.

[duckman]

hxxp://newsok.com/article/1767724/?template=home/main

State House votes to ban funeral protests
By Tim Talley
By The Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY - Boisterous protests at funerals, like those conducted by members of a Kansas church, would be banned under legislation passed Tuesday in the Oklahoma House.

Supporters, including Disabled American Veterans, said the bill and a similar measure passed by the state Senate last week will prevent demonstrations by members of a Topeka, Kan., church who claim soldiers are being struck down by God for fighting for a country that harbors homosexuals.

"This will protect our soldiers from disrespectful behavior," said Danny Broyles, a Vietnam veteran and spokesman for DAV.

Anti-gay protests have been conducted at military funerals in Oklahoma and other states by members of the Westboro Baptist Church, who chant and carry signs thanking God for improvised explosive devices, a major killer of soldiers in Iraq.

Broyles and other supporters have said the protests defile the memory of soldiers who sacrifice their lives for their country.

"You've got a bereaved family who's just lost a loved one. And you want to do something like that? And you call yourself a Christian?" Broyles said.

The bill's author, Rep. Paul Wesselhoft, R-Moore, a retired U.S. Army chaplain, dedicated the measure to the memories of three Oklahoma soldiers kill in Iraq or Afghanistan:

_Spc. Jared D. Hartley, who was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq and whose burial on July 23 was marred protesters.

_Staff Sgt. Lance Michael Chase, who died on Jan. 23 after a mine exploded near his tank while on patrol in Baghdad.

_Staff Sgt. John Doles, who died on Sept. 30 in an ambush in southern Afghanistan. Members of the Kansas church also demonstrated at his funeral.

At least 14 states are considering laws aimed at the funeral protesters. The House measure would restrict picketing and demonstrations within 500 feet of a cemetery, church or home where a funeral or memorial service is being conducted and prohibits protests within two hours before or after a funeral service.

Violations would be a misdemeanor punishable by 60 days in jail.

Wesselhoft has said lawyers for the Kansas church have warned that they will challenge the bill if it is signed into law. But he said there is broad public support for restricting the funeral demonstrations.

If it becomes law, the measure will apply to all groups, not just Westboro Baptist Church protesters but members of other churches or groups who may want to demonstrate in support of a deceased soldier's sacrifice, officials said.

The bill, which passed 99-1, now goes to the Senate for consideration.

[SFL Cat]

Well, as a Christian, and one who is strongly oppossed to the whole "gay rights" agenda, I sure don't understand this minister's reasoning. These fallen soldiers represent the strong right arm of a system of governance that allows us to worship our Creator as we please. A lot of men and women have laid down their lives and shed blood to ensure that this way of life is preserved. To do what they are doing at memorial services for these vets is reprehensible. I think somebody needs to clock this guy.