Marine Corps News Room

http://www.mlive.com/news/fljournal/index.ssf?/base/news-35/114182940543050.xml&coll=5&thispage=2

THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
By Marjory Raymer

Now, the protesters are planning a return visit. This weekend, about 10 protesters are expected at the funeral of Spc. Joshua Youmans, 26, who died last week after fighting for more than three months to recover from severe burns he sustained when his Humvee hit a land mine while on patrol in Iraq.

Now, the protesters are planning a return visit.

This weekend, about 10 protesters are expected at the funeral of Spc. Joshua Youmans, 26, who died last week after fighting for more than three months to recover from severe burns he sustained when his Humvee hit a land mine while on patrol in Iraq.

The protesters are from Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan. The church and its pastor, the Rev. Fred Phelps, have gained national notoriety for their condemnation of homosexuality, abortion and what they consider to be America's lax morals.

Their methods - purposely shocking - combine slurs and name-calling with quotes from Scripture at emotionally charged events. Funerals have become a favorite venue.

"We were there because our job is to cause America to know her abominations," said Shirley Phelps-Roper, Phelps' daughter and the church's attorney, in a telephone interview. Her daughter attended Morr's funeral.

The deaths of soldiers like Morr and Youmans are part of God's wrath on America because of all its sins, Phelps-Roper said.

And members of the church oppose the war itself because, "Our position is that this nation was duped," she said.

Some of their signs read, "You're going to hell" and "God is America's terror." Another said "fag vets" and displayed stick figures having gay sex.

Their presence Monday at Morr's funeral sparked outrage.

"I find it incredible and appalling that people professing faith in God would attack a family in mourning," said Maryion Lee, chairwoman of the Progressive Caucus of the Genesee County Democratic Party.

"Although I have always been opposed to this war, I only have the utmost respect and compassion for those who have been ordered to war and for their families who are suffering the life-altering loss of a loved one."

John Nickola, an Army veteran and frequent protester of the war in Iraq, puts things a bit more bluntly. He calls them "cuckoo."

"It's mean. It's cruel and it's nonsensical," Nickola said. "You can oppose the war - and I do - and you can oppose these fine kids being killed.

"To do this (funeral protesting), desecrates the family."

The protesters potentially face a legal backlash for their actions.

State Rep. Rick Jones, R-Grand Ledge, plans to introduce legislation to ban protests within an hour of the start of a funeral and two hours after, as well as keep protesters 500 feet away. Violation would be a misdemeanor.

"It certainly in an un-American travesty that someone would protest a veteran's funeral," Jones said. "Demonstrating in front of a funeral is the same as inciting a riot."

At Morr's funeral Monday, the Rev. Larry Walker of Bristol Road Church of Christ passed out coffee to the crowd gathered outside. One of the protesters across the street called him a "whore."

"I've never been called a whore before. I guess if you are going to be one, be one for God," Walker said.

While Walker's church also believes all sex outside of marriage, including homosexuality, is a sin, it also teaches that God loves everyone, he said. He called the protest and its message "unfortunate."

"They are misguided and they evidently don't feel the love of God in their heart," Walker said. "I don't understand those people. I just know God loves them."

He warned church members about the upcoming protest and encouraged them to have a positive attitude.

"The man that died, died for them to have the right to do that," Walker said.

Approximately 45 members of the Patriot Guard, most of whom are bikers, also attended the service for Morr. They attend military funerals nationwide - at the family's invitation - in part to shield them from protesters with a wall of flying flags.

"We hide the signs with Old Glory. We're not counter-protesters.

The flag is a show of support," said Bob "Tater" Smith, of Sandusky, Ohio, who attended Morr's funeral. "We're just Americans trying to do the right thing."

There were at least six uniformed and an unknown number of plainclothes police officers at the funeral, although there were no major confrontations.

The protesters at Morr's funeral had packed up and left by the time the funeral was over.

Westboro Baptist Church members have protested more than 100 funerals since June, Phelps-Roper said.

They were in Michigan one other time, in Constantine near the Indiana border.

Now, in a matter of one week, they will come twice to Genesee County.

"We try to get to all of (soldier's funerals), but that's not possible because we are a little group of people and we have a lot to do in a day," said Phelps-Roper, who schedules most of their funeral protests.

They decided to come again "to get the attention" of people in Michigan and because they saw Youmans' funeral being held so soon after services for Morr. About 10 members are planning to attend Saturday's funeral, all of them women so far, Phelps-Roper said.

At Youmans' funeral, tentatively planned for Saturday, the protesters will stand across the street or wherever police tell them to stand, Phelps-Roper said. They will stand on American flags and hold up their signs.

Such actions provoke shock and anger, emotions not lost on Phelps-Roper.

"I don't care. It's not our job to make them listen. They are not going to change their ways. It's too late for this nation," Phelps-Roper said.

***

©2006 Flint Journal
© 2006 Michigan Live. All Rights Reserved.