Police, veterans prepare for protests at soldier’s funeral

[kweerwolf]

Police and county officials urged veterans to avoid confrontations with anti-gay protesters who plan to picket at the funeral Tuesday of an Indiana soldier killed in Iraq.

Hundreds of area veterans have said they will try to shield Pvt. Jonathan R. Pfender’s family from members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., the Evansville Courier & Press reported.

Church founder the Rev. Fred Phelps contends that American soldiers are being killed in Iraq as vengeance from God for protecting a country that harbors gays. Church members have protested at scores of military funerals, and the church informed Evansville police Saturday it would protest at Pfender’s services Tuesday at The Centre.

“They are not going to get our goat,” Vanderburgh County Commissioner Cheryl Musgrave told about 100 area veterans who met Sunday at the Evansville Coliseum. “How dare this group co-opt this funeral to make some purely disgusting point.”

http://www.marinetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-1455851.php

[MrMonk]

1. Did any of those loons show up at the WVa funerals?

Guess not, if they're still walking around.

[China_cat]

5. They're planning to go the memorial service

that is scheduled for this Friday.

[ronnykmarshall]

2. I'd to see some marines beat the shit out of Phelps.

Fuck that turn the other cheek shit. This cockroach and his family of bottom feeders need a lesson in getting their sorry asses kicked.

[bbinacan]

6. I couldn't agree more. n/t

[mourningdove92]

3. I think it would be a boon to the gay and lesbian community

if we could find a way to use Phelps. By using his hatred and hatefilled actions as being demonstative of homophobia gone wild, maybe we could shut up the ultra right wing on the issue of gay rights. I am tired of seeing the right wing beat us up over gay marriage and such. If Phelps could be made the poster boy for the anti gay movement it would show the hatred for what it is.

Most people, even those against gay rights, recoil from a frothing at the mouth like Phelps. We need to make them own him.

[sakabatou]

10. Yes, beating Phelps up is a bad idea.

Linking him to the Repukes and the Neo-cons: good idea!

[randr]

4. What country does Phelps think harbors gays?

[applegrove]

7. Scapegoating - to keep their followers enraged and bonding. Sick!

[MrMonk]

8. Dumb-ass idea here . . .

Is it possible that Phelps et al. don't give a sh*t one way or the other about gays, but only pull these stunts to provoke attacks that would give them cause to sue for damages?

[applegrove]

9. I don't think the point is to sue for damages. I think the point is to

keep the followers into a tightly binded bundle of wood. As the word fascism comes from. People who would think of suing for no reason are 1) American 2) easily figured out.

It is to keep them from hearing any news - especially this year.