Posted on 08/25/2005 7:58:21 AM PDT by SmithL
A Kansas-based Baptist Church group plans to protest at the funerals of Tennessee troops recently killed in Iraq.
Members of Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., have alerted authorities in Middle and East Tennessee that they plan to protest at the final services for Tennessee National Guardsmen killed in Iraq.
Westboro Baptist Church member Shirley Phelps-Roper said the group of about 15 has been all over the country, including Arlington National Cemetery near Washington D.C., to protest at soldiers' funerals in the past 10 weeks.
"There are plenty of these guys being blown to bits by God," Phelps-Roper said during a phone interview Wednesday. "Our job is to make America know: You may not flip off God forever and get away with it."
On its Web site, the group has listed the dates and times for two funerals scheduled for Sgt. Gary L. Reese Jr. in Ashland City and Staff Sgt. Asbury F. Hawn II in Smyrna on Saturday.
Both members of the 278th Regimental Combat Team were killed last week in Iraq.
The group sent out an announcement Wednesday alerting the media and city officials about its plans to protest at the funerals of East Tennessee guardsmen Sgt. Victoir Lieurance and Spc. Joey Hunt.
The funeral arrangements for the two 278th soldiers killed earlier this week by a roadside bomb are not complete.
The Tennessee National Guard headquarters in Nashville said it is aware of the protesters' plans but said the group would be a local law enforcement issue.
Cheatham County Sheriff John Holder reluctantly anticipates the protester's arrival.
"I heard rumors they were coming," he said. "I was hoping it wasn't true."
Holder cautioned little patience with the protesters.
"If they get to doing something that ain't right, we'll answer that," he said.
Ashland City Police Chief Curtis Bennett didn't mince words when asked about the group.
" 'God himself has become America's terrorist, killing Americans in strange lands,'" he said as he read from the group's press release. "You tell me what that has got to do with a boy being killed in Iraq?"
Nevertheless, Bennett said he would respect the protesters' constitutional right.
"The law says that we have got to give them a place and we will," he said.
Bennett said he has partnered with neighboring cities and counties to increase security at the Reese funeral.
The chief of the sleepy 5,000-person town spoke candidly about his fears.
"What we're trying to avoid is two Bubbas in the crowd and one of them is kin to the fallen soldier," Bennett said. "Can you imagine what would happen? That is the perspective we are working on."
The Kansas group has already made one trip to Tennessee.
On Aug. 11 they protested at the funeral of Spc. James Carroll in McKenzie, Tenn., which is in the northwest corner of the state.
A McKenzie Police Department spokeswoman said the group rallied across the road from where the funeral was held. Vonda Cole said the conflict between the family, and the group was limited to some shouting back and forth.
Phelps-Roper, for her part, said the group plans to continue traveling to protest soldiers' funerals "until the Lord comes or until something else happens."
Never a church group.
I wish they would stop referring to Fred Phelps and his nutty band as a "church group." He is a lunatic and that is all he is.
In Tennessee? They got guns in Tennessee..........
Nah, it's the same nutty group that just tries to get press by doing and saying evil things.
Remember the "G-d hates fags" protesters at Matthew Shepards funeral? That's them. Meanspirited old bigots out on a commune somewhere.
These fu****g people know no boundries
What are they protesting exactly? I don't get it.
--Marty
"In Tennessee? They got guns in Tennessee.........."
I believe it's only a matter of time before a member of this "church group" gets hurt or worse from these hateful antics.
They haave the right to protest, and the people at the funeral have the right to run them over with their cars.
Phelps and his group have said outright that they support attacks on America because of our 'wicked ways'.
unbelievable.
"I wish they would stop referring to Fred Phelps and his nutty band as a "church group." He is a lunatic and that is all he is."
He is no more a church group than Jim Jones was a church group.
These weirdos again? They must have a death wish!
He is a publicity hound. He needs to team up with Cindy, except neither would be willing to share the camera time.
I wonder, does this church group protest at funerals of those killed by drunk drivers? or at funerals of murder victims? I'm sure they were protesting at the many funerals for the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Yeah, sure they were.
Freakin' kooks. It's terrorists killing them in the name of their moon god.
This kook Phelps knows nothing about God, his actions make that quite clear. Trust the anti chistian MSM to call that kook a christian though.
Sometimes I wonder if we wouldn't be better off if the police didn't work so hard to avoid this. There are times when people act so abhorently, so out of the bounds of good taste and manners, that they really do deserve what they get.
Don't these "Christians" have something better to do...like loving their neighbors, securing eternal life, confessing their sins to their maker, or something? I don't remember "protestors" as being mentioned in that Sermon on the Mount transcript. I do, however, seem to remember something about the "meek" and the "peacemakers".
Is this group and this Phelps guy the same people that protested at Matthew Shepherd's trail in Wyoming?
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