Westboro group to protest funeral for murdered children of U.S. military man

It happened in Tampa. A Mom shot and killed her son, then went to her daughter’s room and killed her too. She said she was tired of them talking back to her. This story would be emotionally wrenching as it is but the teenagers didn’t have their Dad at home. He had to learn about losing his kids while deployed as part of US Central Command in Qatar.

By the time this news was reported down here in Florida, Col. Parker Schenecker was making plans to get home. Imagine that. Being so far away from home knowing his wife did such a terrible thing, trying to figure out why it happened at the same time he knew he’d have to plan their funerals.

But this story gets worse. As the funeral was planned, Julie Schenecker is in custody, up pops the publicity hungry haters ready to use the pain of so many people as a tool to spread hate.

Kansas church to protest at service for slain Florida siblings
By the CNN Wire Staff
February 2, 2011 4:19 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Westboro Baptist Church says it will picket service because mother is a military wife
Tampa schools sponsoring service for brother and sister, who were slain last Friday
Julie K. Schenecker, 50, is charged with murder in the deaths of her children
Her husband is with the U.S. Central Command
(CNN) — A controversial Kansas church says members will picket before the memorial service Wednesday evening for two Florida teenagers allegedly killed by their mother.
In a press release, Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, said it will demonstrate outside the service in Tampa because the mother is a military wife and “the doomed American military declared war on God & His church.”
The controversial church and its pastor, Fred Phelps, have made their name picketing near funerals of people who died of AIDS, gay people and soldiers. The church plans to picket beginning at 5:15 p.m.and ending at 6 p.m., when the service is scheduled to start, according to CNN affiliate WFTS-TV in Tampa.
Julie K. Schenecker, 50, is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths Friday of her 16-year-old daughter, Calyx, and her 13-year-old son, Beau. She was denied bail at a court appearance Monday, a court spokesman said.
Her husband, Army Col. Parker Schenecker, is with the U.S. Central Command, which is headquartered in Tampa. Police told WFTS that he was in the Persian Gulf emirate of Qatar when his children were killed.
King High School, which Calyx attended, and Liberty Middle School, where Beau was a student, are sponsoring the service at First Baptist Church of Temple Terrace in Tampa, the church said.
Josh Saliba, director of creative ministries, told CNN he would not comment on Westboro Baptist’s plans to protest.
On Monday — their first day back since the shootings became public — students at Liberty Middle School wore blue and black in memory of Beau, who was an eighth-grader there.
CNN affiliate Bay News 9 posted a statement Monday from the Schenecker family:
“Colonel Parker Schenecker has returned from his deployment and is grieving with family and friends. He is devoted first and foremost to honoring the lives and memory of his beautiful children, Calyx and Beau,” the statement said. “Parker and his family have been touched by the overwhelming support from the community both near and abroad. Arrangements and details are still being finalized with regard to the services to be held for Calyx and Beau.”

This Dad has to deal with all of it. The charges against his wife, the loss of his two kids, and now, now he has to deal with Westboro group calling themselves a church when their only clear intention is to cause emotional harm to get them attention.

They may want to connect the fact that Col. Schenecker is in the military and we know how much they hate the troops. Yet these two children were not in the military. They were victims of domestic violence.

This tragic event involves the family, friends of all involved, neighbors, Middle School students and teachers, all grieving the loss but now topped off with a group using all that pain to gain attention.