Fred Phelps

SMYRNA, Tenn. (AP) -- Members of a church say God is punishing American soldiers for defending a country that harbors gays, and they brought their anti-gay message to the funerals Saturday of two Tennessee soldiers killed in Iraq.

The church members were met with scorn from local residents. They chased the church members cars' down a highway, waving flags and screaming "God bless America."

"My husband is over there, so I'm here to show my support," 41-year-old Connie Ditmore said as she waved and American flag and as tears came to her eyes. "To do this at a funeral is disrespectful of a family, no matter what your beliefs are."

The Rev. Fred Phelps, founder of Westboro Baptist in Kansas, contends that American soldiers are being killed in Iraq as vengeance from God for protecting a country that harbors gays. The church, which is not affiliated with a larger denomination, is made up mostly of Phelps' children, grandchildren and in-laws.

The church members carried signs and shouted things such as "God hates fags" and "God hates you."

...Hundreds of Smyrna and Ashland City residents and families of other soldiers turned out at both sites to counter the message the Westboro Baptist members brought.

So many counterdemonstrators were gathered in Ashland City that police, sheriff's deputies and state troopers were brought in to control traffic and protect the protesters.

Self-proclaimed Democrat Fred Phelps is a sick, sick man.

He is not a man of God. Not only is he preaching a message of hate, he's exploiting the deaths of members of our military to push his own agenda.

In that sense, he's similar to the Code Pink, Cindy Sheehan, radical Left extremists. Although Code Pink has shown up at Walter Reed to taunt wounded troops, even they haven't gone as far as to protest at funerals.

Phelps and his group are more offensive and exploitative than the radical Bush-hating Left. That's saying a lot.

Thankfully, there have been counterdemonstrators to overpower the Phelps crowd.

Still, a funeral is no place for demonstrations of any sort. It is a solemn rite, not a free speech forum. To disrupt a funeral is the height of disrespect.

It is absolutely disgusting that Phelps would stage these protests. He no doubt believed that he would get media attention by doing so. He was right.

I am sickened by his message and his methods.