The Westboro Follies

Sometimes in life,  it seems like the bad guys win. And that's exactly what happened yesterday when the Supreme Court ruled that the Westboro Baptist Church is protected under the First Amendment to protest at military funerals.

Before anyone starts to give me a lesson on the Constitution, I understand the First Amendment. Yeah, I know people have the right to express themselves. But just because you have the right to act like an asshole, it doesn't mean that you should. Anyone who thinks that it's right to disrupt a funeral, especially a military funeral, is just as delusional as the imbeciles at Westboro.

If you're wondering about who exactly Westboro Baptist Church is, let me give you an overview.WBC is located in Topeka, Kansas and is led by a knucklehead named Fred Phelps. The congregation consists mostly of Phelps's large family and a few other nit-wits who like the attention. The "church" has gained notoriety by protesting homosexuality, primarily by picketing at funerals. They also seem to be fond of desecrating the American flag.

WBC gained the most attention when they started showing up at military funerals. They say God is killing our soldiers because of America's general immorality and tolerance of homosexuality. Shouldn't there be some kind of law against public displays of lunacy? And how do these morons find all of this time to protest? Do any of them have real jobs?

For the life of me, I really can't understand Westboro's mentality. OK, so they're opposed to homosexuality. So, what? Many Americans are opposed to homosexuality. But they don't show up with picket signs at funerals and make asses out of themselves!

When my son was serving in Iraq, my family worried about him every day and prayed for his safe return. Fortunately, he made it home safe. But many other brave men and woman aren't so lucky. I can't imagine the excruciating pain and mental anguish that their families go through. To have the morons from Westboro show up is like pouring salt on an open wound. This nonsense has to be stopped!

While recently attending a viewing for a local fallen firefighter (who also happened to be a family friend), I noticed what appeared to be a group of bikers holding American flags standing at the hall's entrance. My cousin informed me that they were actually retired military guys who went around to funerals to keep the Westboro idiots in check. When I left the viewing, I thanked them for what they do. I couldn't help but wonder how long it would be before someone pushed one of these guys over the limit. If it ever happens, I'm betting against the Westboro jerks!

So, as a result of the recent Supreme Court ruling, the Westboro scumbags will, no doubt, be doing a victory dance at a funeral near you. And sadly, there's nothing that we can legally do about it. There's a fine line between exercising your freedom of speech and abusing it. Funerals are sacred events and should be protected, in some way, from outside interference and distractions. (The Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act signed into law by President Bush in 2006 prohibits any protest within 300 feet of a cemetery's entrance, 60 minutes before or after any funeral. However, this only applies to cemeteries under control of the National Cemetery Administration.)

Countless troops have made the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our most basic freedoms. Police officers, firefighters and rescue workers put their lives on the line every day to keep us safe. And how does Westboro thank them? They disrupt their funerals and trash our flag. If these jackasses hate America so much, why don't they just leave? I hear Saudi Arabia has a low tolerance for homosexuality. This might be a great place for Westboro to set up their pathetic excuse for a church. Of course, they won't have the Supreme Court to protect their sorry asses over there!

Although they might have scored a small victory yesterday, the callous bastards of Westboro will always be losers to the rest of America!

KW