It's Just Not Right - You Can Help

From FOXNews.com
Outrage After Marine's Father Ordered to Pay Funeral Protester's Fees

The VFW issued a statement to its members asking them to help Albert Snyder pay a court-ordered legal fees.

A court order requiring the father of a Marine killed in Iraq to pay court costs of anti-gay protestors who picketed the funeral has not only angered the father -- it is prompting outcry among among veterans.

The VFW issued a statement to its members calling on them to help the father, Albert Snyder of York, Pa., pay the $16,510 owed to Fed Phelps, the leader of Kansas' Westboro Baptist Church, which held protests at Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder's funeral in 2006.

"It is absolutely wrong for the court to order him to shoulder a financial burden on top of everything else," said VFW National Commander Thomas J. Tradewell Sr. "This is a travesty at best and borders on the obscene. The irony in this whole situation is that the blood and sacrifice of our nation's heroes have enabled this group to spread their message of hate."

The Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ordered Snyder on Friday to pay Phelps. A two-page decision supplied by his attorneys offered no details on how the court came to its decision.
But since Snyder told Fox News on Tuesday he would defy the court order, he has gotten an outpouring of support from across the country.

"We're still in the middle of two wars we still have soldiers coming back in a box, and as long as these soldiers are coming back like this I'm not going to give up this fight," Snyder told Fox News. "I've gotten over 3000 e-mails and a lot of them are from soldiers and families of soldiers saying please don't give up this fight. they're what keeps me going."

Fox News' Bill O'Reilly also pledged on the air to help Snyder with the legal fees. "We have a foundation set up to help those in need of assistance," O'Reilly said. "We will help Mr. Snyder who we feel is a victim of judicial injustice."

Snyder is also struggling to come up with fees associated with filing a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, his attorneys said The high court agreed to consider whether the protesters' message is protected by the First Amendment or limited by the competing privacy and religious rights of the mourners.

A federal appeals court dismissed the suit on First Amendment grounds earlier this month and threw out a $5 million award against the protesters, some of whom carried signs that read "God Hates You" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers."

A funeral for the fallen Marine was held in March 2006 in Westminster, Md. Snyder, 20, died from a non-combat-related vehicle accident on March 3, 2006, while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

According to a Web site created in Snyder's honor, his relatives filed the civil lawsuit against the Westboro Baptist Church to "bring an end to the reign of terror and abuse that they inflicted" upon grieving families of U.S. soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. --end.

For anyone who has never heard of this group that protests at military funerals here's the info. Parishioners from Westboro Baptist Church (for the record the Baptists want nothing to do with them), which is mostly made up of the "pastor's" (full irony here) family, routinely protest at military funerals. Their reason? It's about the most far-fetched cockamamie reason I've ever heard of--because the United States military has a don't ask don't tell policy they feel that all military personnel belong in hell. But they don't stop there. They seem to hate everyone, Indians, Jews, Italians, Catholics, Episcopalians, etc. You name it, they have numerous web sites called www.GodHates(insert name here) for their hate mongering. Shoot, even the Irish aren't spared (http://www.godhatesireland.com/) Why, I don't really understand. Maybe it's the red hair. Now, seriously, how can you hate a group of folks that invented Guinness? Blasphemy, I tell you. They say that Bono is Ireland's Poster Child of Sin. Seriously. Apparently he got that title because Bono, along with the rest of the band, are proud drunkards, womanizers, perverts, and, of course, "Christians." And because he is trying to help with the AIDS epidemic he's double-damned. Their web site were written by idiots. Too bad they believe it.

For more info on the group go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westboro_Baptist_Church.

They've been sued many times and some have been successful against them. But not the Snyder's. I can understand the whole freedom of speech thing. You can't make exceptions no matter how nutty it sounds because it's a slippery slope. But shouldn't there be some common sense in the ruling? Yes, the judge might have to rule against the Snyder's but to have them pay court costs?? That's just rude. Mr. Snyder makes $46K a year as a salesman.

As a retired member of the military I'm just appalled by these people. I also can't understand how they can use God's name while spewing all this hate. Okay, I know that's not a new phenomenon. But, as old my priest, Father Ross, (retired Army himself) used to say about such people. "There are some people that are going to get a rude surprise when they meet their maker." I am glad that they aren't allowed to spread their hate to other countries, the UK and Canada banned them from entering the country. I'd like to know where they get all this money to travel all over the place and to pay off lawsuits?

But it's not over:

The tragic story of the harassment at a Marine’s funeral here in Westminster, MD will be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court this fall, in Snyder v. Phelps. The family needs your help! Please consider donating $10 to the family of Marine Matthew Snyder whose funeral was harassed and picketed by a hate group. If the plaintiff’s family can get donations - no matter how small - from each person who cares and wants to see this case get decided at the U.S. Supreme Court this fall, it will go along way. Here is a link to CNN’s coverage of this story on March 30: http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/03/30/westboro.baptist.snyder/index.html?hpt=T2 The family needs to raise at least $36K b/c the 4th Circuit ordered them on Friday to pay the defendants court costs! So, we are trying to get the word out to as many Veterans and other people who may want to donate/help, because every donation – no matter how small - will help will all the costs needed to take this to the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, because this is not a non-profit, donations are not tax deductable. But donations can be sent through the website - http://www.matthewsnyder.org/ or made payable to "Al Snyder Fund" and sent to the lead lawyer (Sean Summers’) law firm at the following address: Barley Snyder LLC, 100 East Market Street, York, PA 17401. FOR MORE INFORMATION – PLEASE CONTACT: Sean Summers (lead lawyer for plaintiffs) ssummers@barley.com; telephone 717 -852-4997

On a final note, I can't believe that I'm agreeing with anything that Bill O'Reilly says.