Midwest Freelancer archive article
Hate group stays home
(Published Monday, March 6, 2006)
By Chris Post/Midwest Freelancer
Faced with newly-enacted legislation and the opposition of Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt, a Kansas hate group failed to carry through on its promise to protest at the funeral of a Missouri soldier killed in Iraq.
Members of the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church have made a name for themselves staging protests at the funeral of fallen U.S. servicemen. The group, which follows the Rev. Fred Phelps, believes God has allowed the soldiers to die because of the United States’ tolerance of homosexuals.
The group had pledged to be at the Saturday funeral of Army Pfc. Christopher L. Marion, who was killed last week by a roadside bomb in Iraq. The funeral would have been the first for a Missouri serviceman since the approval of Senate Bill 578.
Also called Spc. Edward Lee Myers Law, the measure restricts any person or group from engaging in a protest within one hour before and one hour following any funeral service. The legislation was passed in response to an August protest in St. Joseph at the funeral of Spc. Edward Myers.
Those violating the law would be guilty of a Class B misdemeanor on the first offense and a Class A misdemeanor on subsequent offenses. Class B misdemeanors carry a sentence of up to six months in jail, while those convicted of class A misdemeanors could be ordered to serve a full year. Fines up to $1,000 are also possible.
As Marion’s family and friends prepared for the funeral, they received a pledge of support from Gov. Blunt.
“Our military heroes deserve to be honored without interruption. Their families deserve to grieve in peace without distraction,” he said. “Protesters with no regard for the law or for the families they hurt should be arrested and prosecuted.”
Blunt’s statements Saturday, echoed sentiments he expressed last week during a ceremonial bill signing for SB 578.
“I am pleased that family and friends of the deceased now have this protection from unruly and disrespectful protests during their time of mourning,” Blunt said. “This law preserves the right to free speech for protestors and mourners who peacefully assemble to pay their last respects to their loved ones. I commend the Missouri General Assembly for their prompt action on this bill that honors traditional Missouri values.”
While they were absent from Marion’s funeral service, Westboro Baptist Church members did fire a salvo of their own, raising the spectre of a lawsuit in an interview with the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader.
Shirley Phelps-Roper, Fred Phelps’s daughter, said the group had been in contact with the McDonald County prosecuting attorney’s office and believed it had the grounds for a legal challenge.
"We can sue them," Phelps-Roper said. "We don't need to get arrested to do that. ... They're interpreting the law in a way contrary to the way the Supreme Court interpreted the law."
According to the church’s Web site, three protests were scheduled for Monday, but none were in Missouri.
By Chris Post/Midwest Freelancer
Faced with newly-enacted legislation and the opposition of Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt, a Kansas hate group failed to carry through on its promise to protest at the funeral of a Missouri soldier killed in Iraq.
Members of the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church have made a name for themselves staging protests at the funeral of fallen U.S. servicemen. The group, which follows the Rev. Fred Phelps, believes God has allowed the soldiers to die because of the United States’ tolerance of homosexuals.
The group had pledged to be at the Saturday funeral of Army Pfc. Christopher L. Marion, who was killed last week by a roadside bomb in Iraq. The funeral would have been the first for a Missouri serviceman since the approval of Senate Bill 578.
Also called Spc. Edward Lee Myers Law, the measure restricts any person or group from engaging in a protest within one hour before and one hour following any funeral service. The legislation was passed in response to an August protest in St. Joseph at the funeral of Spc. Edward Myers.
Those violating the law would be guilty of a Class B misdemeanor on the first offense and a Class A misdemeanor on subsequent offenses. Class B misdemeanors carry a sentence of up to six months in jail, while those convicted of class A misdemeanors could be ordered to serve a full year. Fines up to $1,000 are also possible.
As Marion’s family and friends prepared for the funeral, they received a pledge of support from Gov. Blunt.
“Our military heroes deserve to be honored without interruption. Their families deserve to grieve in peace without distraction,” he said. “Protesters with no regard for the law or for the families they hurt should be arrested and prosecuted.”
Blunt’s statements Saturday, echoed sentiments he expressed last week during a ceremonial bill signing for SB 578.
“I am pleased that family and friends of the deceased now have this protection from unruly and disrespectful protests during their time of mourning,” Blunt said. “This law preserves the right to free speech for protestors and mourners who peacefully assemble to pay their last respects to their loved ones. I commend the Missouri General Assembly for their prompt action on this bill that honors traditional Missouri values.”
While they were absent from Marion’s funeral service, Westboro Baptist Church members did fire a salvo of their own, raising the spectre of a lawsuit in an interview with the Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader.
Shirley Phelps-Roper, Fred Phelps’s daughter, said the group had been in contact with the McDonald County prosecuting attorney’s office and believed it had the grounds for a legal challenge.
"We can sue them," Phelps-Roper said. "We don't need to get arrested to do that. ... They're interpreting the law in a way contrary to the way the Supreme Court interpreted the law."
According to the church’s Web site, three protests were scheduled for Monday, but none were in Missouri.