[Goose]

Saw it on John Kasik's "Heartland" on Fox news. These guys ride to funerals where vets who've given their lives in Iraq/Afghanistan are being buried. Seems there's a group of really fanatical religious extremists that go to these funerals and spout vial comments like it's God's wrath on America. They revel in the loss of American lives. Really doesn't make any logical sense what they spout, but it's absolutely vial. These freedom riders show up, rev their engines (with the family's permission only), and drown out the "protesters". I'm not sure I ought to join 'em, though. I think I might be too tempted to start shooting the idiots, drown their comments with gunfire.

[GreyBear]

I hear ya Goose, yet even the cranks and crackpots ahve the right to say what they feel. Of course with voicing an opinion ya gotta be ready to wither the flack it brings. Funny, (not in a haha way) that the very people they are dissing thier funerals shed thier life blood for thier right to do so. Thats one of the problems I have always had with religions... None of them for the most part have any idea what the big picture is about. The whole "My gods better than your god...and I can prove it by killing all that don't believe my way" is just plain sick. It's like the deal with skin color and politics and all the rest...instead of taking time to find out what people have in common they jump on the differences and get defensive and weird and wanna start stabbin and slabbin. And people that wanna take personal tradgedy and make it some sort of jump off point for thier hate spewing are the lowest. I watched my old man break a preachers jaw when I was a kid because the slime had the cohonas to tell him and my mom that my little sister who died when she was 2 weeks old was in Hell cause they didnt get her baptized....and last time I checked they are still having boats and planes leave the US everyday...if the soldier haters are so fed up let them carry thier asses.....
I realize I am rambling some but **** crap like all this is so freaking pointless .....

[Goose]

Well, I'm with ya. And that preacher needed more'n his jaw broke. I'm wondering, though, where freedom of speech begins to become harassing a grieving family???? You don't have the right to harass people and these people are at a grave sight burying their children for God's sake! It just makes my blood boil thinking about it. I'd like to see these guys arrested for harassment. Hopefully it'd make it to the supreme court. I mean, there are limits to freedom of speech such as the oft recited "screaming fire in a theater" thing. I'd like to see what the court thinks about it.

[AFNurse]

I am a rider with Patriot Guard.... They do this mission. Not sure if there are other groups or not, but this one is now over 30K members. Have been on 5 Funeral missions in the last couple months just in Texas alone...and have missed as many/more then I have ridden. www.patriotguard.org is the site. If you want to see what they are doing for the military (and see the crackpots) go to the part of the site that is "in the media". LOTS of clips

[Goose]

Yeah, I probably had it wrong. Patriot Guard sounds familiar. I got in on the interview after they introed the spokesman and wasn't sure. Thanks!

[GreyBear]

Of course theres limits and to me simple courtesy requires that funerals are neutral...hell even 1%ers recognize that even when they are offing each other left and right. Seems that with all the hot shot lawyers around somebody would file a harassment suit on the clowns.
Of course part of the problem is theres way too many laws now. It used to be that yes you had the right to call me whatever...and if that got your head handed to you it was considered the way of things. Warrior societies are much more polite as a whole than societies of cops and lawyers. They have to be. Pistols for 2, coffee for 1 makes you choose your words and actions a little more carefully. Now don't anybody packing a shield get steamed over that...theres a time and place that the law is needed. But theres also times when a good ass kicking just clears the air and re establishes the way of things. One reason that cops are so overworked is that a lot of the laws we have are just BS. And a lot of it could and used to be handled a lot easier. My mom never had to deal with sexual harassment...cause if she had the old man or one of her brothers would have kicked the offending jerks butt and he would have learned some manners. One of my favorite lines is from Lonesome Dove: They are riding out of town and Robert Duvall is being read the riot act and told he was lucky they didnt get jailed. (This was after he had broke the bartenders nose) His reply: "Well it's a right sorry day when it's again the law to smack a surly barkeep" a lot of truth to that.

[scooter]

Warrior societies are much more polite as a whole than societies of cops and lawyers.

That is so true, GreyBear, so true.

scoot

[Killer-B]

Yepper, I have been registered with the Patriot Guard for several months now, Unfortunately I have not been able to attend a mission yet, but plan to in the near future.
I posted here on this Phelps nut before, this guy is a real nut. Read up a little on this guy and you will be amazed. Google him or start here. http://www.godhatesfags.com/

[AFNurse]

I have now been on 6 missions with the Patriot Guard Riders. It is VERY worth my time and effort. Almost every ride ends with tears, quite hidden behind sun glasses (or as one person put it, everyone got some bugs in the eye....). I have not been on a ride yet that dealt with the fanitics...think they have stayed away from Texas for the most part as there are very liberal gun laws here..... Did one ride yesterday...riding through the hometown of the fallen soldier, the town had turned out along the main highway...shoulder to shoulder from before city limits to after city limits....was VERY awe inspiring....especially as this was one of those "podunk" towns...think there were more people lining the street then there were residents in the town! Good luck Killer B on making your first ride. You make one, you will be dissapointed with every one after that when you are unable to ride due to work/schedule/family/etc.

[Goose]

I noticed in todays paper that Gov. Perry has just signed into law a statute that makes it illegal to carry on a protest within 500 feet of a military funeral, one hour before and one hour after. At least it's a start.

I reckon that might keep 'em from showing up in Texas, though I wish it were a couple of miles or something.

[GreyBear]

Well Goose, i appreciate where you are coming from but I have to disagree with you here. Passing more laws that curtail our freedoms is not the answer, in MNSHO. It sounds like a typical political ploy to garner some votes instead of doing something to deal with the situation. First of all I doubt that any law that is so narrow in scope would stand up to a challenge. By making it just military funerals, it makes it capricious and arbitrary and that is always a death knoll for any legislation. And someone with enough ploitical savvy to become governor knows that. And by blocking ALL protests it also tramples on some constitutional rights as well. And as is the usual case also blocks any other sorts of expression as well. Protest is what made this country. And limiyinh it is never a good thing. It also would stop for instance: Veterans protesting the Governmenst lack of commitment to those that have fallens families, and it;s lack of commitment to those that have lost limbs etc. The idea of stopping protests it reall NOT the issue. It is the way the protests are conducted. And there are already plenty of laws to deal with that...IF they were enforced. That is the whole BS gane that politicians play. Grandstand pass a law and get some media attention.
There are laws on the books that cover most things. We didnt need Domestic violence laws...we needed the authorities to enforce the laws that existed. We didn't need Gay bashing laws...once again we needed the laws that were on the books enforced. If you punch someone it doesn't matter if the punchee is Gay or straight, a relative or stranger, Black white or green it is assault. And has been for centuries...
More laws....just isn't the answer.

[Goose]

Well, I don't think of what they are doing so much as a political protest as harassment of the family of our fallen heros as they try to bury their dead. It's despicable what they're doing. It's not protest, it's harassment and I think there are already laws that could/should be enforce. Anything to get these morons away from families and friends who are hurting enough already.

JMHO of course. There are limits to freedom of speech, yelling fire in a theater, ya know? Why should harassment and infringement on the rights of others bereaving they're dead be one of those limits?

[GreyBear]

Goose, first of all I am, if you read some of my past posts about this, totally in agreement that these clowns need stopped. My disagreement is HOW. You say that you don't consider what they do as protest. I would agree. Yet, ( and I am only going by what you said in your post about the new law, since I haven't read it) the law prohibits PROTESTS. So that law WOULD effectively prohibit ANY form of protest. Yes there are laws against screaming "Fire" in a theatre...and such is not covered under the first ammendment. It is reckless endangerment, enciting a riot etc. What I can't understand is how people think that some politician signing some more papers will ever change anything. It is illegal to cause a public disturbance...if you don't think so throw a party that gets, in the neighbors opinion, too loud. They call the cops and the cops can either warn you or arrest you. Where I live it is considered a public nuisance to run your lawn mower or power tools after 10 PM. I once owned a bar and had to build a second entrance that muffled the noise when patrons entered or exitted. All of these are laws that can be enforced. My point is that unless laws are enforced they are less than useless...they are just pieces of paper that get some politicians name in the papers and on TV. The constitution provides for "lawful" assembly. It doesn't allow for abusive behavior. Most people do not seem to realize that assault and battery are two different charges. Assault can be simply a statement. IE: I am gonna kick your A#$! that is assault. If I attempt to do so and lay hands on you, that's battery. And screaming that a fallen warrior is going to hell because of their sexual preference is assault, doing so in such a manner that disrupts a funeral (IE: a lawful assembly) is several charges. WHY HAVE THEY NOT BEEN ARRESTED AND CHARGED?
Most folks don't look beyond the immediate problem down the road and the possible consequences of legislation. The pressure should be to enforce the laws and demand an accountability from public officials if they aren't. Passing new ones is, in 99.9% of all cases, NOT about getting something done to correct a problem...it is about the politicians playing games instead of doing thier jobs. Don't fall for it.
Ride Free......

[brad101]

I am a PGR rider to, havent had the wackos on a mission here in La since I have been a member. I am still on active duty so really cant do what I want. Which would be to leave my cut and bike at home and just take the truck and whip their butts. If you want to read some real interseting history on this family click this link. caveat Baptist watch are kinda some nut jobs too.
http://www.baptistwatch.org/fredphelps.html Ol Preacher Phelps got some problems of his own.