King funeral bastardized by Jimmy Carter and Lowery

[Drbio]

KING FUNERAL TURNS POLITICAL: BUSH BASHED BY FORMER PRESIDENT, REVEREND
Tue Feb 07 2006 15:49:48 ET

Today's memorial service for civil rights activist Coretta Scott King -- billed as a "celebration" of her life -- turned suddenly political as one former president took a swipe at the current president, who was also lashed by an outspoken black pastor!

The outspoken Rev. Joseph Lowery, co-founder of Southern Christian Leadership Conference, ripped into President Bush during his short speech, ostensibly about the wife of Martin Luther King Jr.

"She extended Martin's message against poverty, racism and war. She deplored the terror inflicted by our smart bombs on missions way afar. We know now that there were no weapons of mass destruction over there," Lowery said.

The mostly black crowd applauded, then rose to its feet and cheered in a two-minute-long standing ovation.

A closed-circuit television in the mega-church outside Atlanta showed the president smiling uncomfortably.

"But Coretta knew, and we know," Lowery continued, "That there are weapons of misdirection right down here," he said, nodding his head toward the row of presidents past and present. "For war, billions more, but no more for the poor!" The crowd again cheered wildly.

Former President Jimmy Carter later swung at Bush as well, not once but twice. As he talked about the Kings, he said: "It was difficult for them then personally with the civil liberties of both husband and wife violated as they became the target of secret government wiretaps." The crowd cheered as Bush, under fire for a secret wiretapping program he ordered after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, again smiled weakly.

Later, Carter said Hurricane Katrina showed that all are not yet equal in America. Some black leaders have blamed Bush for the poor federal response, and rapper Kayne West said that Bush "hates" black people.

[Drbio]

Ignorant f*cks. They just bastardized the funeral of a woman who did not desrve this. This funeral was no place for idiotic rhetoric and moronic agenda building.

pathetic.

[FishForLunch]

I guess they followed the Paul Wellstone funeral template

[MavKikiNYC]

One big long F'em list.

[XERXES]

f'em indeed.



I hope when all the living presidents are seated on the same pew at my funeral that the eulagizers will leave politic out of it...sheesh...

[dude1394]

Democrats

[sike]

Originally Posted by dude1394

Democrats

from a minister and a former prez no less....

no class.

[Five-ofan]

This is just utterly sickening. If there was ever a place to leave your politics at home and just celebrate the life of someone who had been through and done so much, this was it. They can have their opinions about bush and they can say them both of those are fine but using the funeral of a woman revered by many as a "bully pulpit" to get their crap out there is just bs. Thats all it is bs. Sickening.

[Drbio]

I'm very encouraged by the responses in this thread. I was utterly appalled when I read the article and was a little hesitant to post it here.

[Mavdog]

a funeral is not the correct time nor place to delve into political rhetoric imo.

it does seem to me that carter was not doing this very thing tho, he was recounting how the kings were subjected to the wrath of j. edgar. it doen't appear when one reads the comments made by carter there was any intent to link that act to the current nsa discussion.

but then I wasn't there, only reading the words he said.

[Dtownsfinest]

How are they ignorant? If you viewed it on television this wasn't a funeral. Like the article said, it was a celebration for the life of Mrs. King. They may be ignorant but Mrs. King shared the same views as Lowery and Carter so I guess she's also ignorant. I'm glad you guys didn't hear Mrs. King daughter preach.

[dude1394]

The mavs had a lot more class honoring Mrs King than the democrats at this funeral had.

But I applaud the democrats here, they should continue to show that they have little honor, class or respect for most institutions or tradition.

That way they can be voted out of office quicker, the quicker the better for the country.

[dude1394]

Jimmah' continues to make me embarrested for ever voting for this pos.

http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/...ves/006320.php

Carter Spied, And Then He Lied

Despite former President Jimmy Carter's pointed jabs at the Bush administration over the NSA surveillance program this past week, it turns out that Carter has more familiarity with warrantless eavesdropping than he let on. Today's Washington Times reports that Carter and his Attorney General authorized warrantless electronic surveillance on two suspected espionage agents, one of whom was an American citizen:

Not only does Jimmy Carter betray his hypocrisy here, but his Attorney General told Congress when it debated the FISA law in 1978 that FISA would not impede the president from exercising precisely this power under the Constitution. The Times also notes that Jamie Gorelick said much the same thing in 1994. In any case, the appellate court certainly agreed with both Bell and Carter in 1980, even after passage of FISA the year after the surveillance took place.

Keep in mind that this surveillance took place to fight a simple espionage case, not to defend the country against an enemy that has already attacked American assets on numerous occasions and killed 3,000 civilians in one attack on American soil. Carter did not get an authorization for the use of military force against Viet Nam -- can you imagine him asking for one? -- and yet still claimed Constitutional authority for warrantless surveillance on Ronald Humphrey, an American citizen. And the courts agreed with Carter.

[Drbio]

Typical dim double standard.

[MavKikiNYC]

Families Seek Legislative Remedies From Funeral Protesters
Monday, February 13, 2006
By Kelley Beaucar Vlahos

WASHINGTON — It was a typical scenario for the Westboro Baptist Church — another demonstration outside the funeral of a soldier killed in Iraq. This time the venue was Meadowood Baptist Church in Midwest City, Okla., noted a full rundown of the event recorded later by church members on their Web site.

The signs held by members that Feb. 2 were dutifully noted on the church's web-journal: "Steve held 'Thank God for Dead Soldiers,' 'You're Going to Hell' and 'Fags Doom Nations' while Shirl held 'America is Doomed,' 'God is America's Terror' and 'Don't Worship the Dead' with a flag tied around her waist."

The Kansas-based church, which believes God is punishing America for its tolerance of homosexuality by sending home U.S. soldiers "in body bags," chose as one of its most recent demonstration sites the funeral of Army Staff Sgt. Lance Chase, 32, father of two sons, who died from a roadside bomb while on duty in Iraq on Jan. 23. On Sunday, Westboro's adherents traveled to Yankton, S.D., to the memorial service for 21-year-old Army National Guard Spc. Allen D. Kokesh, Jr.

As a result of their unwelcome presence at these and other memorials, at least 14 states are considering measures to ban demonstrations outside of funeral services.

"I believe these families have given the ultimate sacrifice — their loved one — and they should be allowed to bury their loved one in peace," said Kansas state Sen. Jean Schodorf, who has sponsored legislation to keep protesters at a safe distance from funerals and memorial services.

For many legislators, it's not difficult to support a bill that would shield grieving families and friends of soldiers and others from signs like "Soldier Fag in Hell," and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers!" outside of funeral homes and churches — the site of scores of demonstrations by Rev. Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church followers.

But some warn that such a ban may not pass constitutional muster despite how disgusting some believe the demonstrators' behavior might be.

"The bottom line is, we have a right in America to express our views, even if most people would think them repellent," said Gene Policinski, a spokesman for the First Amendment Center at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee.

Phelps' churchgoers sure see it that way. Asked about the recent stream of state proposals to ban protests, Phelps' daughter, Shirley Phelps-Roper, said her father's church welcomes the legal fight.

"These people don't have any idea what the law is," said Phelps-Roper, an attorney and mother of 11 children who spoke to FOXNews.com shortly after the group had demonstrated outside of the Tuesday memorial service for Coretta Scott King in Georgia.

The church enjoys the First Amendment freedoms "you claim those soldiers are dying for," she said.

Westboro Baptist Church, an independent congregation of about 75 people, has been picketing in the Kansas area for years, often choosing memorial services for AIDS victims. But the group has recently made national headlines by traveling to places like Oklahoma and Tennessee, bringing their anti-gay rhetoric to the memorials for soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Congregation members also picketed outside of the funerals for the 12 West Virginia miners who perished after a mine explosion in January.
Asked what the church expected to accomplish by upsetting grieving families, Phelps explained they are on a mission, and that it is their right to be there.
"We are delivering a message. God is punishing this nation and he is using the IED as his weapon of choice," she said, referring to the improvised explosive devices that have killed many of the U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq since 2003. At least 2,255 American military personnel have died in Iraq since the war began.

Rejecting Phelps-Roper's arguments, lawmakers like Schodorf of Kansas, state Sen. Mike Friend of Nebraska and others say they will work with constitutional experts to ensure any laws they draft will withstand a legal challenge from the group.

"I believe it's constitutional," said Schodorf, who said her proposal to keep protesters 300 feet from any funeral or memorial service would supplement an existing statute that bans protests an hour before and two hours after these events.

Schodorf said a constitutional attorney will be guiding the process, and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has promised to sign the bill once it passes the Legislature.
"We're having trouble finding the balance but we think we can do it," said Friend, regarding the Nebraska proposal, which is still being molded to fit constitutional concerns.

"We're trying to keep the people who are mourning from being subjected to this stuff, and prevent any potential violence that could break out," he said.
Ed Yohnka of the American Civil Liberties Union in Illinois, another state considering a restriction on funeral picketing, said his organization wants to work with legislators to ensure their measures don't cross the fine line between constructive regulation and violations of free speech.

"We're talking to legislators and governors. While their aims are good and may be viewed as compassionate and perfectly appropriate for many reasons, how do we get there in terms of being constitutional" is the challenge, he added.
Bills being considered in the other states, including Ohio, Indiana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Missouri, Vermont, Kentucky, South Dakota, Virginia and West Virginia, all offer varying degrees of restrictions based on timing of the demonstrations, proximity to the services and behavior that is banned.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin was the first to pass legislation on Feb. 2, the same day as Chase's funeral, making it a crime to protest within 500 feet of the entrance to a ceremony site and within an hour before or after a scheduled service.
Phelps-Roper said church members are unmoved. "It's all good. It's not going to stop us," she said. "We have the moral high ground."

As state legislatures debate, grieving families have found solace in a Veterans-based motorcycle group that formed, in part, to act as a buffer between mourners and protesters at these funerals. The Patriot Guard, now a nationwide network of thousands in every state, attend services at the behest of families and help lower tensions by blocking the protesters from view and drowning out their chants.

Jeff Brown, founder and director of the Patriot Guard, said the organization's primary mission is to attend services to honor fellow soldiers. He said the volunteers do not consider themselves a counter-protest or "muscle" brought in to stare down Phelps' crew. However, he said his group was called in by the families of the West Virginia miners on account of Phelps' parishioners.
Brown said while he understands the free speech concerns, he supports any attempt to keep these demonstrators at bay.

"By picking a time and location that are very emotionally tense to begin with, and saying the things they say and holding the placards they hold, and committing the actions they do … they are, in fact, it can be argued, attempting to incite a riot," said Brown. "That's my take on it."

[Drbio]

If they did that crap in my presence we might need another funeral and a future trial date. There is nothing more cowardly than to intentionally denigrate the funeral of a fallen American soldier.