NavyDave Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 If it was my son, I'd been booked for assault By A.J. Nelson anelson@reportert.com Monday August 29, 2005 Eric and Kellie Peterson, and their dog Bailey, hold up a U.S. flag in front of Neal and Summers Mortuary during Staff Sgt. Jeremy Doyle's funeral Sunday. The Petersons, along with Jim Broeger (with flag draped around neck) were countering the anti-homosexual and anti-military message of members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas. Photo by A.J. Nelson. » Zoom this photo » Buy photos online advertisement MARTINSVILLE The message they brought was hate. The words they used meant to hurt. But the answer they got was 'we don't,' and 'not here.' A protest on Sunday by a group of religious extremist who used the funeral of a soldier killed in Iraq as a platform for their vitriolic anti-homosexual and anti-military message, prompted a spontaneous counter-protest by Morgan County residents. Six members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, picketed outside Neal and Summers Mortuary during Staff Sgt. Jeremy Doyle's funeral services, chanting messages that members of the military are being punished by God for not opposing homosexuality, and that their deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan are America's punishment. Martinsville Police Chief Frans Hollanders cautioned protestors to remain in the grassy area in front of Poston Road Elementary School during their protest. "We don't want to see you hurt, and we don't want to see anybody else hurt," Hollanders said. But their appearance drew, in small groups of two and three at a time, counter-protestors, like Eric and Kellie Peterson, and their dog, Bailey. The Petersons brought a U.S. flag to hold aloft in front of Neal and Summers. "It's the soldiers, not the protestors, who protect our rights," said Eric Peterson. "He (Doyle) died for freedom, and they're allowed freedom of the press, religion and speech. They have every right to protest, but not at soldiers' funerals." Vietnam veteran Jim Broeger said the protestors should have staged their event some distance away, not in front of the funeral home in view of Doyle's family. "This man died in defense of America," Broeger said. "They (the protestors) have no right to be anywhere near this man's funeral." While the Petersons and Broeger had planned all along to counter-protest, some, like Christina Drake and Lora Reyes, saw the Westboro demonstration from their homes and felt compelled to come out and counter-protest. "He (Doyle) was trying to do good for us, and they're putting him down," said Drake, whose husband is in the military. "And the fact that they're dragging a flag on the ground makes me angry." Three Westboro Church members were dragging U.S. flags on the ground, occasionally walking on them and rubbing them in the dirt. But the protestors were far outnumbered. Many others carried U.S. flags to counter the anti-homosexual and anti-military message, including Tim, Lori and Keaton Coryell of Martinsville. "It deeply offended me," said Tim Coryell, also a veteran, of the protestors' message. "We support all these guys, all our brothers and sisters in uniform." Kathy Burns, who looked up the Westboro Baptist Church on the Internet, was concerned that their anti-military message also misrepresented Christians. "(We're here) to show that we believe in God. These people aren't right. There's a sickness there," she said. At the end of their 45-minute protest, Westboro church members put away their signs, neatly folded up the flags they had been dragging on the ground and drove away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Jones Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Very disrespectful. I didn't know people protest against anti-homosexual and anti-military together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spaceman Spiff Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 ND, if it was your son, I'd hold them down for you while you adminstered the beatings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsNut73 Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Those people are nukkin' futs.... This from their website.... http://www.godhatesfags.com/main/aboutwbc.html WBC engages in daily peaceful sidewalk demonstrations opposing the homosexual lifestyle of soul-damning, nation-destroying filth. We display large, colorful signs containing Bible words and sentiments, including: GOD HATES FAGS, FAGS HATE GOD, AIDS CURES FAGS, THANK GOD FOR AIDS, FAGS BURN IN HELL, GOD IS NOT MOCKED, FAGS ARE NATURE FREAKS, GOD GAVE FAGS UP, NO SPECIAL LAWS FOR FAGS, FAGS DOOM NATIONS, etc. Perceiving the modern militant homosexual movement to pose a clear and present danger to the survival of America, exposing our nation to the wrath of God as in 1898 B.C. at Sodom and Gomorrah, WBC has conducted over 22,000 such demonstrations since June, 1991, at homosexual parades and other events (including funerals of impenitent sodomites, like Matthew Shepard). WBC teams have picketed all over the United States, and internationally (including Canada, Jordan and Iraq). The unique picketing ministry of Westboro Baptist Church has received international attention, and WBC believes this gospel message to be this world's last hope. For more information about WBC, feel free to attend one of our weekly church meetings. We are located at 3701 W. 12th Street in Topeka, KS. Regular service time is 11:30 a.m. (Central time). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Mexico Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 Very disrespectful. I didn't know people protest against anti-homosexual and anti-military together.Yeah I have never heard of that either. Extremist religious wackos are just as bad as hippies. It almost seems like the conservatives have these people as their extremists and the liberals have the hippies, none of them do any good for either party or anyone in general, it's just sad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted August 30, 2005 Share Posted August 30, 2005 There aren't that many of them, if people really wanted to you could counter protest their "members" while they go about their everyday activities and drive them nuts....well more nuts then they already are anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illone Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 Ugh, some people need a reality check. I'd start by just punching them in the mouth. I served time in the Military, 4 years to be exact. I respect ANY branch of the military and it's not American to disrespect our flag like that. So ironic that some supposed peace loving church goers would do that. Must be some extreme cult members so they'll burn in hell anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chomerics Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 ND, Fred Phelps is a right wing nutjob, and his hatred is spewed everywhere. I hope you were as disgusted when he did the same thing at Matthew Sheppard's funeral, I know I was. BTW, Matthew Sheppard was the gay college student who was beated and tied to a barbwire fence because he was gay. He died in the hopsital a week after they found him in a coma, and these people picketed his funeral as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twa Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 Chom , for a RIGHT winger Phelps keeps some strange company 1. Mainstream and fundamentalist Christians have denounced Phelps and his cult as a producer of anti-gay propaganda and violence-inspiring hate speech. His cult is composed of members of his own family who live within a family 'compound'. The press knows this, but they choose to call this psychotic family a "Church" 2. Fred Phelps is a registered Democrat. and the members of his cult have had very strong ties to the Democratic Party. From Wikipedia: In the 1980s, the Phelps family were strong political allies with then-senator Al Gore. The home of Fred Jr., Phelps' eldest son, located in the Westboro compound, acted as Gore's campaign quarters for one of his senate races, and the Westboro compound was host to a fundraiser. Numerous photos exist on the internet of Fred Phelps Jr. and his second wife, Betty Phelps-Schurle, posing with Al and Tipper Gore in Phelps Jr.'s home. Phelps also served as a Gore delegate on the floor of the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta in 1988. This information rarely to never appears in reports about Phelps family activism. Despite that, it is no secret. So why does the press work so hard to give the public the impression that Phelps' family is a conservative Christian group? You can call press fables half-truths or you can call them lies, but one thing is clear - this is not objective reporting. http://www.deanesmay.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 From what I understand, Phelps' followers are limited to his relatives. This is good for two reasons. One, it shows me some reason for faith in humanity that others have not joined his mission of hate. And two, it means a well placed hand grenade solves the problem. ~Bang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkinsD Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 I hope there is a special place in hell for these a$$holes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsknbill Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 I heard these nutjobs on Howard Stern a few years ago. I had to turn it off to keep from ripping the radio out of the dash :mad: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatty P For The Pulitzer Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 I hope there is a special place in hell for these a$$holes. There's a special prison section in there for them. Same-sex prison, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xameil Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 The sad thing is...they aren't the only ones out there. There are several groups like that around this country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted August 31, 2005 Author Share Posted August 31, 2005 Conservative or liberal this was disrespectful. I didnt realised he was the creep that did that at that unfortunate kids funeral. As I said I may disagree with the lifestyle but they are still human beings and no one should face a tragic end that way and then to add anguish to his family at his funeral deserves more than a beat down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDawg Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 Not even JUST if that was my son... If that was a friend of mine I'd be locked up right now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halter91 Posted August 31, 2005 Share Posted August 31, 2005 If they did that a friend of mines funeral, all hell what of broke loose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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