Class Acts

Members of our military demand our utmost respect. They voluntarily enlist to defend with their very lives our country and its freedoms. Many in the military could earn more money at much less risk to themselves but serve our country because they believe that our nation requires protection. At no time do they do deserve more respect than after they have made the greatest sacrifice, with their very lives.

It is with this in mind that I find the Westboro Baptist Church to have the most vile collection of people in recent memory. The church has decided that it needs to protest against the evils of homosexuality in this country. The venues the church has chosen for its protests are military funerals. To give you an idea of their ideology and the noxious way in which they communicate their protests, here are some pictures from their recent protests as well as one of their publications:







Whatever you think about the war in Iraq, there is no excuse for what these people are doing. The one bright spot in all of this is how it has rallied a group called the Patriot Guard. They are a group of motorcycle riders who counter-protest when the Westboro scum come to a military funeral. The Patriots attend not to add any more noise to the funeral. They instead act as barriers so the grieving families don't need to see the protesters. Here is their mission statement:

The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse amalgamation of riders from across the nation. We have one thing in common besides motorcycles. We have an unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for AmericaÂ’s freedom and security. If you share this respect, please join us.

We donÂ’t care what you ride, what your political views are, or whether youÂ’re a "hawk" or a "dove". It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn't matter where youÂ’re from or what your income is. You donÂ’t even have to ride. The only prerequisite is Respect.

Our main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. Each mission we undertake has two basic objectives.

1. Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities.

2. Shield the mourning family and friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors.

We accomplish the latter through strictly legal and non-violent means.

Due to the great media coverage they have been receiving, their website is moving at a slow crawl. As soon as I can, I plan to thank these great Americans. I hope you will do the same.