Hate monger bested as community shows true colors

A few day ago, I posted about a group coming to protest the funeral of a fallen soldier in Opelika, Ala., for reasons that had nothing to do with the soldier or his family.

Well, the community is countering this outrage in the best manner possible.

From OAnow.com:

Local woman's tribute to fallen soldier takes off
MITCH SNEED / STAFF WRITER
August 4, 2005

Deanna Kelly’s one-woman crusade to see to it that a fallen soldier gets a fitting tribute has taken off.

When Kelly heard word that Rev. Fred Phelps and his Topeka, Kan.-based Westboro Baptist Church planned to protest the funeral of Opelika’s Sgt. Christopher Taylor, she was determined that the man who spreads an anti-gay message wouldn’t get the satisfaction of ruining the day the community plans to remember the soldier who was killed in Iraq.

"I heard of a group in Texas where the entire town came out and held up flags as the funeral procession passed by," said Kelly, whose husband Matt recently returned from a tour of duty in Iraq. "I thought that was the most touching thing I had ever heard of. I thought it would be great if we could do that here, not as a counter protest to what (Phelps) is doing, but as a way to show what kind of community we are and that we support what Sergeant Taylor did for his country."

Kelly is asking those who want to show their support to show up Saturday at about 2 p.m. on Fox Run Parkway in Opelika, so as the procession leaves Greater Peace Baptist Church, the flags will be seen by those who pass by on their way to the interment site.

Something of note that appears later in the article:

Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller said that Opelika Police Department Chief Thomas Mangham has sent a letter to Phelps, informing him of where the city would like for their demonstration to be held.

I've got my own idea as to where this pathetic excuse for a minister could hold all of his protests.

"We know that Mr. Phelps has the right to protest and we respect that, but we also have some concerns for his safety," Fuller said. "There are some folks in this community that are angered by the very idea that someone would try to desecrate the memory of a war hero with something like this. We are not going to allow this group to disturb this grieving family and make a mockery of this funeral. That’s not going to happen.

"So we have offered the Courthouse Square as site for the protest. We feel like we can secure that area and make sure that they are able to be heard. We don’t want anything to happen to them while they are here. I don’t agree with them, but they have the right to be here and we are going to make sure that they remain safe."

That may prove a challenge, though I sincerely hope not.

It's idiots like this Phelps that abuse their First Amendment rights that anger me. Sure, he's got the right to do this, but it is not right and he knows it.

-the Progressive Conservative

Technorati tags: Phelps, Opelika