Group to protest memorial service - PNW

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Drty, Rox...anybody else in the PNW busy March 4th?

Group to protest memorial service




Published Wednesday, February 21st, 2007
NATHAN ISAACS HERALD STAFF WRITER
Members of a controversial Midwestern church say they plan to protest the memorial service next month of Marine Corps Sgt. Travis Pfister of Richland, who was killed in Iraq two weeks ago.
"I know there is freedom of speech, but I don't think this is the proper place for a protest," said Jackie Pfister, Travis' stepmother. "We want to support him; he's a hero."
The Westboro Baptist Church of Kansas has announced plans to protest the March 4 memorial for Pfister at the TRAC facility in Pasco. The group has achieved national notoriety by picketing soldiers' funerals as part of its anti-gay agenda, regardless of the soldier's sexual orientation.
In response, Operation Thank You, a troop support group in the Tri-Cities, is rallying the public to band together to build a human shield and wave American flags to block the view of the protesters.
"We want to show our support to Travis' family and honor his sacrifice," said Jennifer Plemmons, who comes from a family of Marines, including a son now serving. "We'll also act as a shield so that the family doesn't have to see the protesters."
Pfister, 27, was stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif., with his unit, the 364th Division "Purple Foxes" helicopters. He was killed Feb. 7 in a helicopter crash in Iraq.
Pfister was the second Tri-Citian to die in Iraq in recent weeks. Army Sgt. Ross A. Clevenger, 21, formerly of Kennewick, died Feb. 8 when the vehicle he was riding in was hit with a bomb.
Pfister's memorial service was last weekend at the Hemet Veterans Memorial in Gibbel Park in Hemet, Calif.
Pfister's father, Richard, said the outpouring of support at the California service was tremendous. He said he, Travis' mother and Travis' wife each received Purple Heart medals posthumously awarded Pfister, as well as American flags that covered his casket.
"The Marines are a wonderful group and wonderful family and they take care of their men," Richard said. "Support has been fantastic."
He said the memorial planned in Pasco would be a chance for those in the Mid-Columbia who knew Travis to come together in a tribute.
Pfister's background has little to do with the planned protest. The Westboro group's Web site lists his and nine other military funerals, in six states, where they plan to protest in the next two weeks.
The Kansas church, which has about 70 members, claims soldiers are being killed because God is punishing America for tolerating homosexuality.
The church is not affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention or other Baptist denominations.
The group's Web site says it protests at military funerals "to warn the people who are still living that unless they repent, they will likewise perish."
The group protested in Yakima at the 2005 funeral of Sgt. Lawrence Morrison.
But a new state law prevents protesters from coming within 500 feet of a funeral or memorial service, military or civilian. Gov. Chris Gregoire signed the bill into law Feb. 2 in Yakima, the same day as the funeral for Army Maj. Alan Johnson.
Washington is among 30 states that have passed the law, specifically addressing the church group's actions. A federal law barring funeral protests at national cemeteries was enacted last year.
Plemmons, with Operation Thank You, said her group regularly checks the church's Web site for announcements of its protests, which it calls "Love Crusades."
She said Operation Thank You has contacted the family, media, Washington State Patrol, Franklin County Sheriff's Office and the Pasco Police Department about its plans to show support for the family during Pfister's memorial.
"They don't need to be exposed to this group (the Westboro church) during this time of grief," she said.


http://www.tri-cityherald.com/tch/local/story/8657873p-8549730c.html