Gold Star family members say they were assaulted during inaugural ball festivities

A massive group of violent demonstrators spat on, assaulted and screamed obscenities at a Gold Star widow and sister Friday outside an inaugural ball honoring the military, one of the women told “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday.

Amy Looney, who lost her husband Navy SEAL Lt. Brendan Looney in 2010, and Ryan Manion, whose brother Marine First Lt. Travis Manion died in 2007, said they were attacked as they tried to enter the American Legion’s tribute to Medal of Honor recipients at the Veterans Inaugural Ball.

“We were pushed by a man in a mask hiding his face,” Manion wrote in The Philadelphia Inquirer. “Our clothes were drawn on with permanent marker by other ‘protesters.’ And we were called the most vile names I have ever heard as we entered and exited the venue.”

Said Looney: “To witness this act, and to see – I hate to even refer to it as protesting, because it was an accelerated version of that to say the least – was really hard when we try to instill unity versus creating more division.”

A time has come.

Never one to advocate violence, but bullies stop hurting other people only when they learn what hurting really is.

A few years ago, there was a crazy group called the Westboro Baptist Church. It was no church, but rather it was an extended family run by a wildly leftist psychotic father. He had been allowed to leave the Army when he was discovered to be gay.

He then went on a crusade claiming that killing American soldiers was a good thing, all US military members were gay, etc.

The "church" would purposely picket dead soldiers funerals and cause as much heartbreak as they could. They would even have 10 year old kids carrying huge day-glo signs proclaiming "God Has Killed Another American Fag Soldier" or "God Hates Fags - But Loves Dead Americans."

Imagine 8 - 15 members of this crazy church-family showing up and screaming their obscenities at a family of a fallen soldier you knew. Of course, if the family and friends of the KIA made a high dollar donation to the "church," they would all go away.

This continued for about 5 years until the crazy father died. Rumor has it, and of course, and this is only a rumor, that a van of Westboro Baptist Church (sic) family members were traveling to ruin a KIA's funeral in Northwest Florida, the panhandle area.

They stopped for the night in a cheap motel along I-10 in Santa Rosa County (near Pensacola, many retired military and rednecks). About 0300, somehow some unknown person or persons got into their motel room and proceed to have an old fashioned "bar of soap in a swinging sock" party. (Please remember, this is all rumor, of course.)

Also their nice 15 pax van was thoroughly trashed, all windows broken, all tires slashed. Rumors also had it that numerous Patriot Guard Harleys were seen in the area that night.

The most important part was the message each of these "protesters" got, that if they returned, next time they would go home in a box.

As a matter of fact, we haven't heard much from the Westboro people recently....

Perhaps these bullies now infesting America need to know that two can play the same game.

... never advocating violence, of course.

Sorry, but I’ve got to correct a few things in your Phelps narrative.

First of all, you speak of them in the past tense. They are still around, as strong as ever.

Next - Fred Phelps was never in the army...and while I’ve often wondered whether or not he is a closet homosexual, there is no evidence that he was gay. The true ‘origin story’ of why he became militantly anti-gay involves him taking his young kids to a park, and having to witness a gay couple swapping spit in public.

And your narrative gives the impression that his picketing started (and ended) with dead soldiers. That’s not accurate at all. He started out long before that, and first gained national prominence when people started dying of AIDS in the 80s, and he would picket their funerals. When soldiers started dying, he seized the opportunity to again gain national exposure and picket their funerals. Now that fewer soldiers are dying, his family has less national exposure - but you can google search their picket schedule today - they still travel the country trying to get publicity. Looks like they’re making a trip through Texas, stopping off to picket the Super Bowl, and continuing on to protest the Grammies in LA a week later. Its rare anyone reports on them, but they’re all over the place with their signs...hoping for an altercation or incident that gets them publicity.

I live in Topeka, Kansas - their home base. Every Sunday, they can be found picketing one of the local churches, as members walk in. And every Tuesday, like clockwork, they picket outside the city council meeting, as people walk in. No past tense about them at all - just waiting for the next high profile thing they can picket.

You’re right about one thing though - Fred was a leftist. He ran in the democrat primary for governor several times, and famously posed with AlGore in the 80s.

One more thing...according to Fred’s own family, he went to hell. Fred recanted/repented on his deathbed, and the monster family he created did not like that one bit.

One other thing I always “loved” about Phelps. I may be missing some details over the years (and I never practiced in their district) but if memory serves, in a professional standards complaint against him seeking disbarment, all 9 then-sitting federal judges in the district signed the complaint!

re: his anti-military funerals, I always wondered who was paying their bills. Someone was, and I would love to know if WBC would accept cash payments to NOT come into certain areas.

Follow the money.....

P.S. Not withstanding any laws, at age 73, I’ve just decided that there are some people who need whuppin.

“there are some people who need whuppin.”

This is why they have young children with them - human shields. Around 25 years ago, a woman plowed her car into them. Nobody was killed...and after a lackluster prosecution, she was given a slap on the wrist. The kids prevent that from happening again.

Must of their
nest egg actually came from the city of Topeka. The city, again around 25-30 years ago tried to curtail their outrageous activity - and the clan sued...and won quite a bit of money.

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