Imagine for a moment that your child died in the Armed Forces in Iraq or Afghanistan. Imagine that come the day of their funeral that some protesters showed up. Imagine that these protesters showed up because America tolerates the existence of homosexuals. Apparently, such protesters have been showing up at funerals for quite some time. The father of one of the dead American soldiers has now responded, rightly, by suing these protesters.
The Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka Kansas (apparently providing an answer to a certain question) have been going to military funerals and protesting. Not out of a religious conviction of pacifism, but because U.S. Soldiers have died while "serving a country that has incurred the wrath of God by accepting and tolerating homosexuality."
A member of the church has described their goals as follows: "Our job is to put this cup of his wrath and fury to the lips of this nation and make them drink it." This church happens to be the one that
held an anti-gay rally outside the funeral of Matthew Shepard, who was brutally murdered in 1998 in Wyoming due to his sexual preference. Westboro later attempted to get a plaque commemorating Shepard's "entry into hell" erected in a Wyoming park.
They've also protested 9/11 funerals and at the funerals of the West Virginia Sago Coal Miners.
Below is a description of their actions leading to this suit:
On March 3, 2006, Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew A. Snyder was killed in the Al Anbar province of Iraq. His father, Albert Snyder, buried him on March 20 at St. John's Catholic Church in Westminster, Md.. It was supposed to be a peaceful, private ceremony.
But the funeral was interrupted by members of the church. "The protesters -- Westboro Baptist Church -- showed up with their signs, their hatred," Snyder said.
According to Snyder's attorney Sean Summers, the demonstrators bore their infamous "God Hates Fags" signs, as well as a lesser used "Semper Fi Fags" sign, particularly offensive to the dead Marine's family
When confronted by a Pastor at Arlington over their actions who told the protesters that God loves everyone, the Westboro Church representative characterized the Pastor as "'A lying, false prophet -- that's what this is,' Phelps-Roper told CBSNews.com, and dismissed him as a "dumb-ass" and a liar."
This suit against them is the first attempt to stop them, hopefully it will although the Church
feels this is a misuse of the judicial system. "Their stated purpose is to tie this little group -- the servants of the living God -- up in litigation," she said, "not caring what the merits are ... or if they could possibly prevail."
UPDATE: fromt the comments I've realized that this is an ongoing issue, so I've modified the title to reflect that. The lawsuit is the new part of the story.