Westboro's attempt to protest

            On April 14, 2011 in Brandon, MS, a group of angry lunatics called the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) attempted to protest Staff Sergeant Jason Roger’s (United States Army) funeral, who was killed in Afghanistan. The group is from Kansas and made a special trip to Mississippi just to make themselves look terrible.

            Rumor has it that one of the WBC members had made an ignorant comment at the local grocery store and was beaten up for it. Strangely enough, when the police were investigating, none of the witnesses seemed to recall what had happened and the victim fortunately could not make a clear description of who had attacked him. Maybe violence was not the way to handle it, but something definitely needed to be done.

            The citizens of Brandon did everything in their power to keep the insanity to a minimal. One of the townspeople actually spotted the Kansas license plates on some vehicles at a nearby hotel where the WBC members had been staying for the night. In the morning several county pick-up trucks were parked behind their cars blocking them in and the drivers of the trucks had disappeared until the funeral was over. Conclusion: WBC members failed miserably in their attempt to make a point. The only point they made is that they are ill-informed of what the Bible has to say.

            It is so unfortunate to think that there really are people out there that are anti-war to the point where they protest outside of someone’s funeral. Just because one disagrees with another person’s choice of career certainly does not give them the right to rejoice in knowing that another American has died. In fact, the only reason that the WBC group even has the right to speak freely is because that man, along with many others, died trying to protect that freedom. Too many people do not understand the “rights” that we as Americans have are privileges. These “rights” are not just handed to us. Real people are out overseas fighting every day to make sure that we can be allowed to have these opportunities. The misguided group members probably would love to have a soldier protecting them if the Taliban or Al-Qaida showed up in their backyard ready to attack. Hopefully one day they will see the hurt that they have caused to so many people. Until then, all there’s left to do is pray for them.

By: Kelly Beecher