Some very insensitive people exercised their right to freedom of speech Saturday morning, so now I am going to exercise mine.
This group from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., choose to stand in front of an East Peoria church almost directly across from Remmert Funeral Home. They held signs that contained some horrible, hateful messages, such as “Soldiers die, God laughs” and “God hates fags.”
On the other side of the street, members of the Patriot Guard motorcycle group stood with American flags to pay their respects to a man who died for his country.
This man, Paul G. Smith, 43, of East Peoria, died in Afghanistan while serving with the Illinois Army National Guard.
He did not choose to die.
He left behind a wife of 21 years and three children, and he surely wanted to see them again.
He will no longer be able to come back to his home to see the beloved fish pond he made in his back yard. He will no longer be able to watch his big-screen TV or spend time with his family.
As human beings, most of us feel empathy for the family. We experience their pain with them. We know this could happen to someone we know and love. We realize this man sacrificed his life, so that others may experience freedoms we enjoy.
I find it a disgrace that these protestors chose to display such hateful, hurtful messages during the saddest time in another human being’s life.
Honestly, as I approached these people, I was baffled. Initially, I thought they were protesting the war, which I could understand, although not condone in this setting. Then, I saw the “God hates fags” message and I was baffled. I thought it could have something to do with singer Michael Jackson’s death and not be related to Smith’s funeral at all. But then I saw the “Soldiers die, God laughs” and “Thank God for IEDs” messages.
I couldn’t believe it.
I asked protestor Betty Phelps what she was protesting.
She said, “This country has fully given over to the fag agenda.”
Some very insensitive people exercised their right to freedom of speech Saturday morning, so now I am going to exercise mine.
This group from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., choose to stand in front of an East Peoria church almost directly across from Remmert Funeral Home. They held signs that contained some horrible, hateful messages, such as “Soldiers die, God laughs” and “God hates fags.”
On the other side of the street, members of the Patriot Guard motorcycle group stood with American flags to pay their respects to a man who died for his country.
This man, Paul G. Smith, 43, of East Peoria, died in Afghanistan while serving with the Illinois Army National Guard.
He did not choose to die.
He left behind a wife of 21 years and three children, and he surely wanted to see them again.
He will no longer be able to come back to his home to see the beloved fish pond he made in his back yard. He will no longer be able to watch his big-screen TV or spend time with his family.
As human beings, most of us feel empathy for the family. We experience their pain with them. We know this could happen to someone we know and love. We realize this man sacrificed his life, so that others may experience freedoms we enjoy.
I find it a disgrace that these protestors chose to display such hateful, hurtful messages during the saddest time in another human being’s life.
Honestly, as I approached these people, I was baffled. Initially, I thought they were protesting the war, which I could understand, although not condone in this setting. Then, I saw the “God hates fags” message and I was baffled. I thought it could have something to do with singer Michael Jackson’s death and not be related to Smith’s funeral at all. But then I saw the “Soldiers die, God laughs” and “Thank God for IEDs” messages.
I couldn’t believe it.
I asked protestor Betty Phelps what she was protesting.
She said, “This country has fully given over to the fag agenda.”
She added, “We’re here to mourn the living. The living still have the opportunity to repent.”
Her sentiments are extreme, and the words on the placards are hateful. These people are horrible examples of Christians.
They say it is wrong to honor the dead. Have they forgotten that Jesus is deceased? Most Christians would say that God promotes love, not hate.
When I tried to get a grip on their purpose, I became more confused.
I asked their stance on the war.
“God put it into George W. Bush’s mind and heart to start this mindless war,” Phelps said.
Huh?
So, this group of self-proclaimed Christians are blaming God for the war?
I inquired about the “Thank God for IED” message. I told Phelps it sounds like they want people to die.
She replied, “Every person that’s killed with an IED (improvised explosive device), that’s God’s judgement. It’s not a blessing for our young people to be blown to bits in this war.”
Well, no duh lady.
As a journalist covering a happening, it was not my place to judge at that moment, but I was angry.
I also struggled with whether to write about these people since it seems they obviously want the attention. But I think it does more good than harm to bring these despicable behavior to light.
If we ignore something, it may take away its power; however, it may also become more dangerous like a cancerous cell that grows without someone being aware of it.
Others seemed to share my anger, and as people drove by, they honked and shouted at the protestors.
Then, a courageous young man named Rob Baker walked down the sidewalk. Baker, of Pekin, carried his own sign. It read, “Getta load of these people.”
Baker stood in front of, and then in the midst of the protestors he was protesting.
“I think they’re ridiculous,” Baker said.
His girlfriend, Courtney Girouard, said Baker asked her Friday night if she wanted to go protest with him. She said Baker learned of the Westboro group from the Internet.
“It’s just disrespectful more than anything” Girourard said.
Baker agreed.
“These people are disgusting. They have absolutely no respect for the people who are dying for our country,” he said.
“They basically have no logic,” he added.
I couldn’t agree more.
Rather than stand in the blazing sun and try to understand these people’s agenda, I left. I had better things to do.
So did Baker and Girourard. They went to help hold flags at Smith’s funeral.
East Peoria, Ill. —
