Can morals overpower legalities?

A hate group disguised as the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) consists of irrational extremists who protest anything and anyone who doesn't concur with their beliefs, especially homosexuality and the military. In 2006, the church gained national attention for its protests. The members carry offensive signs that include messages such as "God hates America" and "Thank God for 9/11." The church is most commonly found protesting at military funerals, yelling chants of obscenities and lining the streets.

The Supreme Court's ruling stated that WBC was legally able to continue its protesting as protected by the First Amendment. States including Arizona, Indiana and Illinois made it illegal for the protestors to get within 300-500 feet of a funeral. Unfortunately, this doesn't stop them from lining the streets and attempting to disrupt the service.

At the Chronicle we believe that although the protestors are protected by the First Amendment, their picketing is wrong and hurtful. Even with a restriction on how close they are able to be to funerals, the pain they are inflicting on already emotionally damaged people is immoral.

Fred Phelps heads the independent Baptist church, headquartered in Topeka, Kan., which consists mainly of his extended family. The family of crazies start branding their beliefs in their kids from the day they areborn. WBC member Steve Drain's two-year-old daughter was featured on ABC's 20/20 where she sang how "God Hates the World." Coached by her parents, it's clear the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.  It's so unfortunate to see a kid singing words of hatred. What the church is teaching the youth is sickening.

Drain's 24-year-old daughter, Lauren, once questioned some of the church's beliefs, claiming there was hypocrisy. Upon this accusation, she was immediately not only cast out of the church, but out of her own family. Her parents claim they don't miss their daughter and are happy she's gone.  Lauren said she's not able to return and that her siblings now hate her. That includes her younger sister in particular who she raised for over three years. It's baffling how these people can happily go through their day knowing how much they can hurt their own family members.

The church claims that America is doomed because of its acceptance of gay rights and that Americans are therefore guilty by association. They claim that every tragedy experienced by the world has a link to homosexuality. So, even though the WBC members live in America, they are exempt from this damnation? If these people would just educate themselves beyond attempting to interpret one line of the Bible, maybe they'd see the flaws in their logic. Unfortunately most of them seem to be at a point of no return.

Imagine driving down Greenville on your way to Richland passing Restland cemetery. Typically a couple of funerals are under way and mourners are lined down the cemetery's roads. Now, further imagine a group of protestors on the other side screaming hate messages and holding signs that degrade the deceased and their families. This is what has been experienced at funerals across the nation.

Luckily, a group of motorcyclists known as the Patriotic Guard Riders attend military funerals and shield families from WBC protestors. Using American flags, revving their bikes and singing patriotic songs, these bikers work diligently to drown out the noise of the protestors and let the mourners proceed in peace.

Instead of waiting for karma to roll around, counter-protests have been an effective way to grind the WBC's gears. Demonstrations by homosexual couples, oppositional signs such as "soldiers rock" and "Dorothy left Kansas for a reason," are peaceful manners of disputing the WBC.

Although legally there's no way of stopping  WBC members from attempting to spread their hate messages, hopefully active anti-WBC demonstrations will overshadow those of church and more members like Lauren will separate themselves from the irrationality and insanity that lies within the WBC.