Support the troops? Part II

What is the world coming to when you can't even count on the right-wing nutjobs to support the men and women risking their lives in Iraq? I've just come upon this article on CNN's website about a family of fundamentalist Christian protestors who picket the funerals of American soldiers because "the soldiers are fighting for an army that represents a country that accepts homosexuality." You know, I'd really like to live in this fantasy version of the USA they seem to think exists. After all, I live in a state that voted to make gay marriage illegal. Yep, nothing says acceptance more than trying to outlaw someone's lifestyle. Hell, even the notoriously liberal Hollywood played it safe and opted not to give Brokeback Mountain the Academy Award for Best Picture.*

Another favorite passage of mine is where the patriarch of this clan of wackos, Baptist minister Fred Phelps, says of his preaching style, "You can't preach the Bible without preaching the hatred of God." I must admit, I'm not the most well-versed in theology, but I'd always gotten the impression that Christianity was almost like the hippie religion with its constant talk of peace and love. (Okay, maybe calling it a "hippie religion" is a bit over the top, but I'm just trying to make a point.) Could a real Bible scholar please help me out and let me know if Jesus at any point ever said that any group of people should be hated?

I can't get over what a leap in logic this whole endeavor is, either. As despicable as it is, I can at least see how protesting the funerals of homosexuals would make sense to the twisted minds of the hatemongers. I imagine this is more about trying to stir up controversy than anything else. In this way, they're not just offending the sensibilities of liberals and left-leaning moderates, but also a lot of the right-wing psychos who would normally be on their side. This way, their message is brought to the attention of far more people than it would have otherwise. Obviously, it's not going to work. I can only hope that this will also cause some of the less insane homophobes to evaluate their own beliefs and realize just how ridiculously they've behaved over the years.

Oh, yeah, and what these assholes also seem to be forgetting is that these soldiers gave their lives in service to a country that gives people the right to publically express their opinions, even if those opinions are completely stupid and wrong. If there is a Hell, I wonder if Fred Phelps is going there.

*Not that it necessarily deserved it. It was certainly better than Crash, and I wouldn't have minded if it had won, but I think Good Night, and Good Luck. and Munich were the two best nominees. Back