Phelps is going to protest at SEAL's Funeral
Friday, August 25, 2006
Marit sends this article about Fred Phelps' plans to protest the funeral of Navy SEAL Marc Lee.
Blackfive posts by Froggy about Marc Lee are here and here, and my Pundit Review segment about Marc is here (podcast).
Be sure to read the Intent of Fred Phelps.
If you are in the Oregon area, please consider helping to peacefully and positively counter the Phelps protest and allow Marc's family to have their dignity and respect honored during this very difficult time.
Group Will Form a Human Wall Around Westboro Baptist Protestors
Tim King Salem-News.com
Oregonians are being called out to Hood River this weekend to shield the family of a Navy SEAL killed in Iraq from Kansas hate groups during funeral.
(HOOD RIVER) - A counter-protest group says Oregon residents are being called out en masse to drown out hate groups that plan to disrupt the funeral of an Oregon Navy SEAL who was killed recently in Iraq.
The August 2nd 2006 death of 28-year old Marc Lee was the first suffered in Iraq by the Navy’s elite commando force.
But this is not the first time Oregon has been threatened by the Westboro Baptist Church out of Topeka, Kansas, in fact they’re getting to be old news.
They had announced plans to attend the recent funeral and memorial service for Private First Class Thomas Tucker of Madras, Oregon, an Army soldier who was captured and then later killed in Iraq, and now the hate group led by the Reverend Fred Phelps and his wife Margie Phelps says they are coming to Hood River this Saturday.
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“Please, we need as many people as possible to dress in the ’ol red, white and blue and bring American flags. We would like to line the 2nd street over pass, the road to the Expo Center and completely surround the protesters who will be confined to Lot 6 at the Port. Lot 6 is directly west of the Luhr Jensen Plant.”
Members of the Oregon Veteran’s Motorcycle Association have been escorting the remains of soldiers in Oregon and Washington consistently since the first Gulf War. They will be on hand along with members of the Patriot Guard, A.B.A.T.E. and several other motorcycle clubs and organizations that will attend the service and pay tribute.
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One of the organizers of the counter-protest says she never saw herself physically protesting again, ”I don’t think it matters whether you are for or against the Iraq War. I am appalled that any group will show such disrespect for a family at a memorial service for their son who has been killed. We need to do what we can to shield the Lee family from these people. You, probably like me, have never met Debbie or her son Marc. But I hope that you will join me in surrounding the protesters on Saturday so that their antics are drowned out.”
The event, named Drown out the Protesters takes place Saturday, August 26th, 2006 at The Hood River Expo Center, 405 Portway Avenue, in Hood River, Oregon. The planned time is 10:00 in the morning, but many will be arriving well before that to prepare the area.
The organizers are asking everyone who sees this story to please pass this message on.
I admit that at Salem-News.com, this thing with the Westboro Baptist Church got a bit personal.
It is hard to draw the line on exactly where the role of a media group is with all of this, but as one, if not the only news organization in the country that is primarily staffed and operated by veterans, we feel it is our duty to sound the alarm, because the Westboro Baptist Church will be considered invaders by most people here, and their unsavory behavior is clearly not in Oregon’s good public interest.
If you get a chance, read the whole post and tell Tim "thanks". And I've said it before, those Patriot Guard Riders are simply the BEST!