Group protests at soldier’s funeral–but Patriot Guard Riders save the day
Family and friends gathered Wednesday in Beebe to say goodbye to fallen soldier, Army Spc. Bobby West. But they were joined by people protesting at the funeral.
West was killed in Iraq on May 30 after a roadside bomb exploded while his unit was on patrol in Baghdad. He was also the first Arkansas soldier to die since the state passed a law in April limiting protests at funerals. (See link for full text.)
However, it did not keep members of a Kansas religious group from protesting at West’s funeral. The controversial group from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., has shown up at close to a hundred soldiers’ funerals.
They carry signs that many people find terribly offensive. One boy held a sign that read, Thank God for Dead Soldiers” and another boy held the sign, “Thank God for IEDs.” Their message: the deaths are God’s punishment because the United States harbors homosexuals…
Meanwhile, the Patriot Guard Riders had about 300 riders to help shield the soldier’s family from the protesters. The group was created with the sole purpose of protecting the families from protesters at funerals. (See link for more on the Patriot Guard.) They flank the family’s car and make it difficult to hear anything other than the rumbling of their motorcycles.
The Westboro Baptist Church is led by Pastor Fred Phelps, and he and his followers began appearing outside funerals of American troops killed in Iraq last June.
Phelps says they will continue the protests despite restrictive laws passed by several states. In fact, some of the protesters have quit their jobs so they can travel regularly to soldiers’ funerals.
Editor’s Note: The Patriot Guard Riders have a ‘Gathering of the Guard’ event in Oklahome July 2nd, 3rd and 4th and want their riders or anyone interested in joining or supporting what they do to show up. To learn more about the Patriot Guard Riders or to join them go to www.patriotguard.org
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