"God Hates Fags" Church group to picket soldiers funeral in Moorhead

[KyndCulture]

I am so outraged by this story.... I'm in Detroit Lakes, 20 min from Moorhead. I wish there was something we could to protect this family from this horror.

Church To Picket Marine's Funeral In Moorhead

(AP) Moorhead, Minn. A fringe Kansas church that claims it was targeted by the United States with the same type of explosive that killed a Moorhead soldier in Iraq plans to demonstrate at the soldier's funeral.

Sgt. Bryan Opskar was killed on July 23 when a roadside bomb exploded. A military spokesman says the 32-year-old Marine was conducting combat operations near Ar Rutbah, Iraq.

Ten members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, plan to picket for 30 minutes before Opskar's funeral in Moorhead on Tuesday, said Shirley Phelps-Roper, church attorney and daughter of church minister Fred Phelps.The church operates two anti-gay Web sites and links soldiers' deaths in Iraq to a bomb that exploded on its compound in 1995.

A news release from the church says Opskar was killed by "by an IED (improvised explosive devices), like the IED America used to bomb our church, in a terroristic attempt to stop WBC's anti-gay preaching."

more --
http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_211172438.html

[stepnw1f]

1. Why Is This Shit Tolerated?

Where are the decent folks to shut these freaks down?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. would they stay away

if the family asked, or would they come anyway?

[KyndCulture]

4. sounds like they are doing it no matter what.

I don't want this kind of hate in my backyard.. I'm just beside myself pissed off.

[unschooler]

3. A counter demonstration against hate?

At least it might draw away some media attention and let the family know people care about their suffering.

[KyndCulture]

5. That's not a bad idea.

I am going down there to cover the story for Radio News America, if I can drag some more people with me maybe we can get some of the media hype off of these bastards.

[wellstone dem]

6. I can't get there for this,

but thank you for doing something. Minnesota is better than this.

[KyndCulture]

9. Yes we are!!!

These freaks better realize THIS is not Kansas, this is blue Minnesota they are stepping into and there are plenty of people here who are not going to let this shit hurt that family any more than they have been hurt losing their only child in Iraq.

[unschooler]

8. Last year there was a skinhead rally in my community (a few

demented teenagers, but they were scary), and a group organized an extremely well-attended "unity" counter-demonstration at another location (to avoid fistfights). The "unity" demonstration got quite a bit more press than the whackos did.

[ltfranklin]

7. Protest at their church, not at the house of the parents.

The protests will have two purposes...one, to protest the hate, and second, to hopefully draw some or all of the group away from the family. Make sure you start it 1/2 hour before the church is supposed to start their protest, so maybe you can deflect some of them from making it to the families house.

[ltfranklin]

11. Thought about it more...

Perhaps some people should be at the funeral, if for nothing else to provide a buffer between these people and the family, but I think it's wrong to try to do it as a counter-protest. Let the counter-protest take place on their ground, their church, the house of the head of the church, etc. Anybody that goes to the funeral should, I think, go in the same vein as reproductive-clinic protectors. Wear black out of respect for the family, do NOT protest the church-members, provide ONLY a buffer. Place yourself in a line between them and the funeral, say nothing, react only to prevent the protesters from approaching the funeral, speak only to tell the protesters to be quiet and have respect for the deceased and the family, and then in low tones that show respect for the family.

SHAME them, people, SHAME them.

[tocqueville]

12. absolutely right

[Ian David]

13. You know, as soon as someone in Fred's family dies...

I'm going to drop everything, fly to Kansas, and protest at THEIR funeral.

God Hates Bigots!

On This Day X Phelps Entered Hell

Fuck 'em

[tocqueville]

10. that's the least you could do

I can tell you that kind of stuff couldn't happen in Europe. Nobody what I know of has disrupted a burial for whatever political or ideological reasons it could be.

Graves have been desecrated yes, but it's mostly neo-nazi vandalism.

I'd have the counter demonstration at their church at the same time than the burial, both to respect the families and tactically too :

maybe they would be so afraid that their church burns down, so they wouldn't send anybody to the burial anyway

PS : a sign "God hates gays" is illegal in most European countries. This is not freedom of expression, it's incitation to hatred.

[KyndCulture]

14. This is Fred Phelps group from Kansas, they are traveling here.

They are making this man's death a national issue. From what I understand this was the parents only child and they are in their 70's I believe.

The buffer sounds good, a human chain is what i was thinking to put ourselves in between the protestors and the family when they exit the church after the services.

[tocqueville]

15. and it's good that Democrats show they care about the troops

when obviously others (responsible for their misery) don't

[Son of California]

16. GOD HATES PEOPLE WHO HATE

[Minnesota Raindog]

17. Send them to Michele Bachmann's house

Maybe they can compare notes.

[unschooler]

18. Maybe DUers could come up with a nationwide response plan

for when these freaks announce they're going to invade a community. I'll sure has heck be there if they ever come out west. How about a silent, dignified "God Loves People" demonstration?

Just an idea.

[Minnesota Raindog]

19. Make sure the media is always aware of their "events"

The more sunshine you can put on these maggots, the sooner people will see that this is the end result of bigotry and homegrown religious extremism, no matter who is preaching it.

Monitor their upcoming events calendar and send the local media links to their website. It speaks for its ugly self.

[unschooler]

20. I'm a little conflicted about this.

I agree that shining light on this dirty corner of humanity is good thing. On the other hand, it seems to me that media coverage is what they want....