Westboro Baptist Church

[Starset]

On Friday, May 5th, 80 members of the Effingham National Guard Unit returned home safely to a big welcome home crowd.

On that same day, an Effingham native is one of ten soldiers who die in a crash of a Chinook transport helicopter in Afghanistan. 28 year old Chris Donaldson was in the military for more than eight years and was part of the Tenth Mountain Division. The US military said the helicopter was not downed by hostile fire and an investigation is underway.

Chris Donaldson''s funeral is today in Effingham, and this group, the Westboro Baptist Church ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Church_(Topeka) )has Chris'' funeral listed on their website as a target for their preaching. They claim "God Almighty killed CWO2 Donaldson. He died in shame, not honor - for a fag nation cursed by God." "They turned America over to fags; They''re coming home in body bags."

WARNING: their website is disgusting

http://www.godhatesfags.com/main/index.html
http://www.godhatesfags.com/fliers/may2006/20060517_christopher-donaldson-funeral.pdf


The 80 members of the guard plan to attend the funeral today and stand with their backs to this protesting group - acting as a human sheild. The Patriot Riders, a group of motorcyclists, indicated on its Web site that it plans to help shield mourners at Donaldson''s funeral from protesters.

The IL Governor passed a new law, the "Let Them Rest in Peace Act," requires protesters to remain at least 200 feet away from a funeral site for 30 minutes before and after the ceremony. Protesters cannot make disrupting noises, display inappropriate signs or block an entrance to the funeral site. A first-time violation of the state law is punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine. Any other violations will be punishable with one to three years in state prison and a fine of up to $25,000.

 

[Angela1977]

This group is truly disgusting. I''ve done a lot of reading on Phelps and he is a disgusting excuse for a human being.
UGH. I don''t even really know what to say to this.

 

[Starset]

I agree Angela. It''s so sad that this is only one of many funerals this group targets.


SHUMWAY, Ill. - Five anti-gay demonstrators stood in a small roped-off piece of ditch here Friday in their group''s first gathering at a fallen soldier''s funeral since Illinois'' new "Let Them Rest in Peace" law was signed earlier this week.

The demonstrators are followers of the Rev. Fred Phelps, who claims soldiers have died because they fought for a country that condones homosexuality. The group obeyed the law by staying more than 200 feet from the Faith Lutheran Church, where the funeral of Army pilot Christopher Donaldson was held. Donaldson was killed while serving in Afghanistan.

Across Illinois Route 33 stood a crowd of more than 200 flag-waving supporters of Donaldson, many representing motorcycle groups that included the American Legion Riders, Patriot Guard and the Christian Motorcyclists Association. That group turned its back on the anti-gay demonstrators, and no words were exchanged between the two groups.

The "Let Them Rest in Peace" law, signed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Wednesday, bars protests within 200 feet shortly before, during and after funerals. It''s aimed at Phelps, a Topeka, Kan., preacher who has targeted funerals of slain soldiers across the country to spread his belief that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are God''s way of punishing America for its tolerance of homosexuality.

"The only relevant message for this nation is that they''ve sinned away their day of grace," Johnathan Phelps, of Topeka, Kan., told reporters. "God is killing their children."

Phelps, one of Fred Phelps'' 13 children, arrived with four teenagers about 30 minutes before Donaldson''s funeral was to begin and left before it started. More than two dozen state police troopers lined the highway during the silent demonstration, but left shortly after Phelps'' group.

"They''re kind of disgusting," said Cherie Ryan, of Beecher City, a friend of Donaldson''s family, before she entered the church. "It''s extremely disrespectful."

Dick Codding, a member of the Christian Motorcyclists Association, made the trip from Anna in southern Illinois to join the counter-demonstrators.

"I don''t understand it," he said of Phelps'' group. "But we are not here to worry about that. We are here to honor Chris Donaldson."

Johnathan Phelps said he had no intention of breaking the law during his protest and was not concerned that his group was outnumbered 40 to 1. He said his group would work to change the law governing protests at funerals "because if that soldier died for any righteous cause, it was for the First Amendment."

Codding said he doesn''t understand Phelps'' theology, calling the Kansas preacher "very misguided."

"Some day the good Lord is going to change his mind," Codding said.

And Codding said his 123-mile trip to stand outside the church had nothing to do with Phelps or his followers.

"Their showing up was just a minor inconvenience," he said. "We would have been here anyway."

 

[tawn]

Disgusting...can''t people find something productive to do with themselves? My husband has been to several funerals of soldiers killed overseas, including some close friends that were killed in Afganistan last summer.

He has a shirt with the names of his friends that were killed there, and I can just imagine the ugly scene if someone from that hate group were to comment that the fallen were "fags" because they were fighting for their country! (They sold the shirts to raise money for an education fund for the orhans of the men killed)

 

[JulieN]

I don''t get it...isn''t the military one of the most anti-homosexual institutions in this country?

 

[tawn]

Date: 6/1/2006 9:11:14 PM
Author: JulieN
I don''t get it...isn''t the military one of the most anti-homosexual institutions in this country?

They have a "don''t ask...don''t tell" sort of thing!

 

[cinnabar]

Date: 6/1/2006 9:11:14 PM
Author: JulieN
I don''t get it...isn''t the military one of the most anti-homosexual institutions in this country?

Phelps and his band of hate-mongers'' sole ethos is that homosexuality is wrong. They go to the funerals of gay people to protest against homosexuality. When it comes to soldiers'' funerals, however, it''s slightly different. They believe that the soldiers are dying because of the USA''s general tolerance for homosexuality (rather than specifically the military). They say that God is so angry, he''s punishing us/them by letting soldiers get killed. They think that the war in Iraq is wrong because Saddam Hussein opposed homosexuality and was therefore a good man in their eyes.

Phelps is a sick, twisted, child abuser and wife beater too. Wikipedia has the details if you want them.