Controversial church to picket soldier’s funeral

The News Enterprise ^ | Thursday, September 20, 2007 8:13 PM CDT | SARAH BERKSHIRE

[SLB]

RADCLIFF — Members of gay-bashing Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., plan to picket the funeral Saturday of Pfc. Sammie Phillips.

The group will protest before services begin at 2 p.m. at Stithton Baptist Church in Radcliff, according to a news release that also features biblical quotations and interpretations.

The church advised Radcliff police of its plans. Organizers asked the department to designate an area for 10 church members to picket, police spokesman Bryce Shumate said.

They will be restricted to an area across Dixie Boulevard and about 300 feet away from the church.

The Patriot Guard Riders also will attend the funeral and visitation today at Coffey and Chism Funeral Home in Vine Grove, said Melinda Willcut, an administrative assistant at the church. ADVERTISEMENT *

The riders attend services for military members as invited guests. Their objectives are to show respect for the deceased and shield family and friends from interruptions caused by protesters, according to the group’s Web site.

“We’re really happy for those attitudes,” Willcut said, referring to the guard.

Shumate said police will be patrolling the area Saturday to ensure order.

“Our main concern … is it’s our job to ensure the safety of the folks and citizens in Radcliff,” he said, adding that included visitors.

Westboro Baptist Church and its controversial leader, the Rev. Fred Phelps, claim homosexuals run the country and military and call the deaths of those serving the military punishments from God. Similar protests in Kentucky led legislators to enact laws regulating protests at funerals.

Phillips, 19, of Vine Grove, served in the Kentucky National Army Guard and was killed Sept. 10 when his vehicle overturned while on a traffic control mission near Rustamiyah, Iraq. He was a 2006 North Hardin High School graduate.

[Jedi Master Pikachu]

Hopefully they don’t get money out of lawsuits—or are even forced to pay money in a counter lawsuit—and don’t give fundamentalist Christianity a bad name (guessing that they’d be labeled fundamentalist Christians).

[rottndog]

I don’t think they are Christians. I think they are in cahoots with the ACLU types trying to defame Christianity.

[Texas Mom]

Thanks. So many of these articles will have the name of a city or town and no state.

[Doogle]

The Patriot Guard Riders also will attend....

..nuff said

Thanks Star

Doogle

[stephenjohnbanker]

“Where DO they get their traveling money? George Soros?”

Good guess.

[stephenjohnbanker]

Not THEM again....................

[Travis McGee]

Some America-hater with deep pockets is funding them.

[RonPaulLives]

BLUEGRASS PING

[gidget7]

Glad you will be there! I hope the word is out to the general public in the area! There are huge numbers of veterans and reserves in the area, and many would go to surround the burial site, thus block these kooks.Vine Grove and Rhineyville are tiny, very conservative towns close to Ft. Knox, and many of the citizens are enlisted men and women and their families.

Why doesn’t they law passed that restricts protests at funerals apply here?

[gidget7]

Thank you, from the sister and niece of MANY vets. One brother who lives in Hodgenville, and served in Viet Nam, and I am sure if he knows about this, he will be glad to be there too!

[ChildOfThe60s]

They threatened to come out here to Bardstown to disrupt the funerals for the 10 people that died in the fire a while back. They ended up not doing it, but I suspect they might very well have gotten into a lot of trouble. The victims seemed to have a thousand relatives. You know small towns.

Hope it’s that way in Radcliff. With all the military related personnel around there, sounds like a potentially hot situation.

On a totally unrelated side note for anyone that lives out that way. There is an Asian food store (called Smith’s Oriental) on the west side of the road towards the north of town. Next door (on the right) is a tiny little Korean place run by a very nice Korean woman. She runs it *entirely* alone, cooks, serves, cleans and makes her own kimches. Has about 8 items on the menu. Called Korean Delight, 1603 N Dixie Blvd. I see Ft Knox people come down there to eat lunch.

If you like Korean food, patronize it. She is a very nice lady.

[gidget7]

No they are not a church, and believe me, knowing the area well, this is an area right smack in the middle of the Bible belt. These folks know what the word “Church” means, AND what it doesn’t.

[gidget7]

Stonewall You probably know, or at least have seen, my family. Hodgenville folks shop in E-town of course ;)

[gidget7]

Hi Grandma, nice to see you!

[gidget7]

I remember that sad sad funeral. My family lives very near there, and did what they could to stop the protest from happening. People are good conservative Americans, on the whole, in the area. And most know what it means to be a Christian, so it’s poignant to say, they know frauds when they see them.

[Stonewall Jackson]

It’s quite likely. I’ve worked for Lowe’s for the past 10 1/2 years, almost all of it at this store.

[gidget7]

Then they have visited your store. One brother just built a house, he was there 2 or 3 times over the last 3 years LOL. E-town can get a bit busy, but I love it, the whole area!

[gidget7]

2 or 3 times a week that is!

[CodeMasterPhilzar]

They are not a church. They are professional activists who hope to incite riots and disorderly conduct to dramatize their agenda.

Dang. That shoots down my first idea - maybe someone should picket their church and see how they like it. But that would just play into their hands, they'd probably welcome the attention. Best to shield the family, let them have a respectable service to say goodbye, and ignore these manipulative {expletive}s...

[Stonewall Jackson]

E-Town can get quite busy at times, and our store can get absolutely crazy. Right now, we are in the middle of a giant influx of orders for Fort Knox. The new fiscal year is getting ready to start and they have a huge number of buildings that they have to remodel or build in order to house all of the units that will be reassigned there because of BRAC.

E-Town and the surrounding area is a wonderful place to grow up and raise a family. You have a large number of small towns throughout the area where life operates at a much slower speed, yet at the same time, you are less than an hour's drive from Louisville.