BE OUTRAGED: Gold Star Father Ordered to Pay Court Fees

Yesterday, media outlets around Baltimore reported that Gold Star Father Albert Snyder of York, Pa., would be ordered to pay court fees for the radical Kansas pastor who pickets military funerals. The fees are related to Snyder's ongoing lawsuit against the notorious church, which we refuse to name on this blog.

Snyder's son, Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder, was killed in Iraq in 2006. His funeral was protested by the hateful fanatics, who held up signs laced with anti-homosexual rhetoric, tying American military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan to America's tolerance for gays.

Snyder decided to take action to reclaim his son's dignity and sued the pastor. Initially, Snyder was awarded $17 million, but the lower court's decision was overturned. Now, upon further appeal, the Supreme Court has granted certiorari on the case. However, in the interim, Snyder has been ordered to pay more than $16,000 in associated court costs for the picketers.

This afternoon, Snyder said he will refuse to pay the court-ordered fees.

Personally, I hope the Supreme Court rules that this hateful church cannot impede on the First Amendment rights of the Snyder family and other military families, who have the right to freely practice their religious beliefs, which should include dignified funeral proceedings.

Though groups like the ACLU have supported the protester's First Amendment claim to free speech, similar protections must be afforded to private family matters, such as funerals. In my opinion, the intent of the First Amendment was to ensure the free flow of information in an effort to maintain transparency in government. I cannot believe that the framers intended it to be used to bully private citizens, as this hateful clan has done for years.

In response to the outlandish protests, motorcycle riders such as the Patriot Guard Riders and AMVETS Riders have mobilized around the country alongside police, firefighters and other public servants to protect Gold Star Families from the vile messages.

Officially, AMVETS believes that all who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty deserve nothing but the utmost respect from a grateful nation. Gold Star Families have earned the right to bury their sons and daughters with dignity.

The Snyder family has been receiving donations from around the country to help defer the potential court costs, and on Fox News last night, commentator Bill O'Reilly offered to pay Snyder's legal expenses, should the court system fail him and his son.

Thank you for stepping up to the plate, Bill, but let's hope it never has to come to that.

-Ryan

(Image: Gold Star Service Banner, which signifies a family member who has fallen in combat. Public domain.)

AMVETS Riders Lead an American Warrior Home

On Sunday, Nov. 15, AMVETS Riders from Chapter No. 7 in Morristown, Tenn. joined the local Patriot Guard Riders and members of the Tennessee Highway Patrol to escort the body of Army Spc. Fred Greene back to his hometown of Mountain City, Tenn.

Greene, a 29-year-old Army combat engineer, was one of the 13 victims of the Nov. 5 shooting at Fort Hood, where Army Maj. Nadal Hasan opened fire on a crowded room of soldiers preparing to deploy.



Alan Sipe, president of AMVETS Riders Chapter No. 7, said the AMVETS Riders joined up for a 45-mile stretch of the journey, which passed through the mountains of eastern Tennessee on Sunday morning. Sipe said that entire congregations of small churches along the route lined the streets to pay their respects to Greene.

"The Tennessee Chapter No. 7 Riders were very moved at each and every moment of the ceremonies as they led one of their fallen brothers to his final resting place," said Sipe. "May he forever rest in peace."

Greene was laid to rest on Wednesday at his family church in Mountain City. Defense Secretary Robert Gates was in attendance to pay his final respects. Sipe said that Greene was buried with full military honors and treated as a KIA.



According to the Associated Press, Greene enlisted in the Army in 2008 and was assigned to the 16th Signal Company, which was heading overseas. Greene is survived by his wife, Christie, and his two adopted daughters, Haley and Allison.

(Photo: AMVETS Riders served as members of the Honor Guard when Spc. Greene arrived at the Tri-Cities Airport on Nov. 15. Photo courtesy of Alan Sipe. Video: TriCities.com news coverage of Spc. Greene's ride home and his funeral on Wednesday, Nov. 18. Embedded using HTML code provided by TriCities.com.)

I usually don't agree with the ACLU, but...

The Associated Press reported today that the ACLU has filed suit in Michigan on behalf of Lewis Lowden and his late wife Jean, who were pulled over and arrested while driving in the funeral procession for Army Cpl. Todd Motley in 2007. Lowden was cited for violating Michigan's law prohibiting funeral protests for a sign in his car's window which criticized then-President George W. Bush.

The ACLU is concerned that the current Michigan law is written in a way that gives authorities a blank check to arrest anyone who makes a statement that could be construed as controversial in and around funeral proceedings. To view the Michigan law, as it is written today, Click Here.

In 2006, the law was passed with bipartisan support to restrict the protests of that "church" in Kansas (I refuse to name them on this blog). You know, the "church" that's now notorious for picketing troops' funerals around the country, claiming that their deaths were punishment for American tolerance of homosexuality; the "church" that has given the Patriot Guard Riders, AMVETS Riders, and patriotic Americans across the country something to protect.

According to the AP, lawmakers who helped to draft the bill did not foresee an issue such as the Lowden case. The law was passed with noble intentions, but the ACLU claims the language is too broad, and can lead to authoritarian abuse, which seems to be the case with the Lowdens.

For a little background on the Lowden story, Lewis and Jean were long-time family friends of Motley. In fact, they helped with his home schooling and frequently took him on fishing and camping trips as a boy. Lowden was well known around town for the political signs he would hang in his vehicle, and when he arrived for the funeral, no one objected.

As the funeral procession passed through town, the Lowdens were pulled over and arrested on the spot. The city eventually dropped criminal charges at the request of the Motley family.

When I first came across this story, I thought it was going to be another whiny ACLU case, but I was encouraged to see that even those responsible for drafting the law are eager to hear the courts' decision on how to properly enforce a reasonable standard.

The decision on whether a political statement connotes a "disturbing or disruptive effect" on a funeral should rest solely with the grieving family. To me, it seems absurd that the police could determine what such families would take offense to--especially in this case, where the offenders were IN the funeral procession!

But don't take my word for it. Read this story for yourself, and let us know what you think.

-Ryan

(Photo: A member of the Patriot Guard Riders stands on guard at the funeral of Army Sgt. John Styles, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2008. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Liesl Marelli, released.)