On Thursday I saw a story on CNN about Albert Snyder, the father of a Marine who was killed in action in Iraq.  It seems that the lovely folks at the Westboro Baptist Church decided to picket at his funeral.  Never heard of them? Some of the signs they held said “God hates fags” , “Thanks God for dead soldiers”, “God hates you” and “Semper fi fags”.  Nice, huh?

I should point out that they do not restrict their ire for dead military members. They picketed at the funeral of Heath Ledger, apparently because simply portraying a gay man in a movie was that bad.  They also picketed Matthew Shepard’s funeral and have generally been doing this sort of crap for most of their 50 yr history.

Mr Snyder, the father of the fallen Marine, sued the Westboro Baptist Church and won a judgment for several million dollars.  Not surprisingly, the church appealed, but what did surprise me was that the judgment against them was overturned.  As if that’s not bad enough, Mr Snyder has been ordered to re-pay the church’s $16,000 in legal fees.  Click here if you want to read the entire decision.

How the hell is what these people are doing NOT a hate crime?

Before anyone starts saying “But that’s protected under the first amendment!!”, keep in mind that there is precedent for restricting certain types of speech in certain contexts.  The classic example is that you can’t yell “Fire” in a crowded movie theater, but other examples include child pornography, advocacy of violence and interference with another fundamental right.

Personally, I have absolutely no problem with restricting the “right” of a group to disrespect the dead, no matter what the circumstance of the persons death.  Imaging being this Marine’s family and finding this group across the street, chanting their hateful thoughts, while you’re putting your 20-something son to rest.  Unconscionable.

Fortunately, the US Supreme Court has already agreed to hear the case, so hopefully at least Mr Snyder won’t have to give money to the group that actively sought out to dishonor his dead son.

=========================================================================

Reading some articles about this story, Veronica told me about a group called the Patriot Guard Riders.  From their website:

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 America’s freedom and security. If you share this respect, please join us.

We don’t care what you ride or if you ride, what your political views are, or whether you’re a hawk or a dove. It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what your income is; you don’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 their friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors.

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

To those of you who are currently serving and fighting for the freedoms of others, at home and abroad, please know that we are backing you. We honor and support you with every mission we carry out, and we are praying for a safe return home for all.

I joined the Patriot Guard Riders today. I hope to God that I’ll never have to answer the call to ride with them, but if I do, I would be honored to respect the memory of a fallen soldier and help shield the family from the likes of the Westboro Baptist Church.

A veteran is someone who, at one point in his/her life, wrote a blank check made payable to “The United States of America,” for an amount of “up to and including his/her life.”- Author unknown