My vote for A-hole of the week.

I was watching Nightline this week and saw a story about Rev. Fred Phelps who I believe founded some church in Alabama. Phelps and his followers go around the country to soldier's funerals and protest them, holding signs saying that "God hates their sons" and "God loves dead soldiers.". One of the parents of the dead soldiers decided to sue Phelps and his followers and this week that case is being heard in the supreme court. Nightline interviewed some of the protestors and I just can't believe that there are people out there that would actually disrupt a funeral just to get a point across. These protestors were also holding signs that also bashed gay people and different races. The people interviewed were so cruel and unsympathetic to these families pain that it really made me sick to my stomach. I just love it when simple minded people use religion to bolster their hateful rhetoric. I don't always agree with this country's politics...actual I rarely agree with them but you don't take it out on the soldiers and their families. These soldiers believe in what they are doing and they are dying to protect this country. These morons who are disrupting these Funerals are just doing it to gather attention for their cause. I believe in freedom of speech but when it comes to letting a family grieve in peace..there just has to be laws to protect these funerals. If these people want to picket outside an army base or in Washinton DC...I'm fine with that. I obviously don't agree with anything they say but they do have the right to express their opinions. The funeral bashing though is out of line and interferes with the rights of the dead soldier and his/her families. Religion plays such a huge role in these protests and that's a whole other can of worms that I will revisit some other time. I'm conflicted though about whether the family should be able to collect millions of dollars in damages from this Phelps guy. My heart says ...Hell yes! But that will open the door to other people suing and we don't need even more ridiculous lawsuits clogging up the justice system. The one thing I do hope for is that these despicable people meet their God one day and he can pass judgment on them.