SMYRNA, Tenn. (AP) - Members of a church say God is punishing American soldiers for defending a country that harbors gays, and they brought their anti-gay message to the funerals Saturday of two Tennessee soldiers killed in Iraq.
The church members were met with scorn from local residents. They chased the church members cars' down a highway, waving flags and screaming "God bless America."
"My husband is over there, so I'm here to show my support," 41-year-old Connie Ditmore said as she waved and American flag and as tears came to her eyes. "To do this at a funeral is disrespectful of a family, no matter what your beliefs are."
The Rev. Fred Phelps, founder of Westboro Baptist in Kansas, contends that American soldiers are being killed in Iraq as vengeance from God for protecting a country that harbors gays. The church, which is not affiliated with a larger denomination, is made up mostly of Phelps' children, grandchildren and in-laws.
The church members carried signs and shouted things such as "God hates fags" and "God hates you."
About 10 church members protested near Smyrna United Methodist Church and nearly 20 stood outside the National Guard Armory in Ashland City. Members have demonstrated at other soldier funerals across the nation.
My question is this: Why does Phelps and his brand of loonies warrant mainstream coverage from the likes of the Associated Press, yet Code Pink and their band of loonies protesting outside of Walter Reed hospital gets next to no coverage? And what little coverage they do get certainly doesn't highlight their over-the-top rhetoric ("Enlist Here To Die For Halliburton") which is every bit as ugly and distasteful as what Phelps and his crowd engage in.
The way the mainstream media white washes these anti-war protests is nothing short of shameful. The American people deserve to know who these people really are.
Update:
Dean's World has more, specifically about the fact that Phelps is an anti-war Democrat but rarely gets called that.