NDR but it made me smile a bit of justice out of Neb.

Dave Shady Larsen

Dave Shady Larsen

Well-known member
OMAHA, Neb. -- A woman was arrested in Bellevue on Tuesday during the funeral for a fallen soldier.

Shirley Phelps-Roper was arrested on suspicion of contributing to the delinquency of a minor for allowing her 8-year-old son to stomp on an American flag. Phelps-Roper is a member of a Topeka, Kan., church that conducts anti-homosexual picketing at funeral services for U.S. soldiers.

Hundreds of people packed Bellevue streets Tuesday morning to pay tribute to a firefighter and soldier. Spc. Bill Bailey was serving in the National Guard in Iraq when he was killed by a roadside bomb. Police said the group to which Phelps-Roper belongs had a permit to protest 300 feet from Bailey's funeral.

Bellevue Officer Joe Gray, who made the arrest, said that at first the group brought out a couple of members' own American flags.

"The arrestee, Ms. Phelps-Roper, put one around her waist. The second one was given to a 8 year old who put it on the ground and started kicking it in the area they were protesting," Gray said.

Nebraska law states that it is a Class 3 misdemeanor when a person "intentionally casts contempt or ridicule upon a flag by mutilating, defacing, defiling, burning or trampling upon such flag." The law was passed in 1977.

"It appears the adults weren't stepping on the flag because they knew it was a violation of the law. But they allowed the children to go ahead and do that," Gray said.

Phelps-Roper said she believes she has the right to use the flag as a symbol, and said Nebraska's law is outdated.

"We're going to challenge that statute," she said. "That statue should have been repealed."

Gray said the arrest wasn't personal and has nothing to do with his beliefs. He said he's simply doing his job.

"It's state law, so we were enforcing the laws of Nebraska," the officer said.

Sarpy County Attorney Lee Polikov said the words from the group are fighting words and that takes it away from protected speech.
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Sent to me via Email from another Patriot Guard Rider, sick puppys but im happy to see that the LEO of Nebraska kept her company for a while.
 
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they are a family of lawyers looking for attention and a reason to sue , period .
( not them but)I remember a story from a while back where at some protest a guy started to burn an American flag. Some guy proceeded to beat the snot out of him.At the trial the Judge asked him why he beat the guy, he said he didn't see the flag and thought the guy was on fire and was "just trying save him from the flames",Judge basicly called him a hero for trying to help someone and made the flag burner pay ALL court cost and a couple of other fines( starting a fire without a burn permit, etc) ! =)
I'm waiting for someone to have a "Seizure" while driving past ( or into ) one of their protest. Hell , I'll even help pay to repair the car!
 
"The Rev. Fred Phelps, the church's founder, contends American soldiers are being killed in Iraq as vengeance from God for protecting a country that harbors gays."

Uhhh, Fred...it might be time to have that prescription adjusted.
 
Is a arresting the parent of a child stepping on a flag the most important thing this officer of the law has to do with his time? That is absurd. Charlie they broke the law, not that it matters while at a soliders funeral yelling and screaming and holding signs for the family that was grieving to see. Not that that matters But that man died so they could have that right to protest at his funeral.


"What has this country come to? I'm sure our founding fathers would be very proud." Until you have stood by that group and listned to them and experienced them LIVE that might change your view a bit but hey its a free country and I respect your opnion even if i disagree. Dave
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Dave,

I respect your opinion too.

I'm sure it is very hard to be there.

At a minimum, they are being disrespectful of a lost life.

<<deleted text>>

Charlie
 
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Charlie ,
"At a minimum, they are being disrespectful of a lost life.
These individuals may be very different... However, I do not think most people are protesting soldiers themselves, but more the war. Then again, I could be dead wrong. "

no ,your right, they are not protesting the soldiers, or the war , they are celebrating their death from 300 feet away hoping someone will do something so they can sue. They are the reason the Freedom Riders were formed.


"What if a cop had decided that he didn't like motorcycles and issued you an equally ridiculous ticket for noise infractions and disturbing the peace? Just enforcing the law? Or using the law as excuse to be punitive to someone whose beliefs are different than his?
I'd like to think that law enforcement would stay out of the business of judging indviduals based on their own belief system. Sadly history has proven that it is all to easy to abuse the power."

I don't belive the cop did what he did out of spite or because HE didn't agree with what was being said . He was doing what he's PAID to do , UPHOLD THE LAW. At that time he was enforcing a law that had been on the books for years. The mother was arrested for telling her child to desecrate the US flag.An act she would not commit herself because she knew it was against the law and she would get arrested, but she was caught telling the child to do it. It was probably the best that could have happened, by removing her , her brood moves also. Now the family can get on with burying their loved one.


you might want to check out the families website for a little more info on their "point-of-view"
www.godhatesf*gs. obviously a little misspelling , but I think you can find it .

Sorry if I have come off a little harsh , please don't take it personally , but do go check the site.
 
I just remembered

( big sigh , hangs head down )


Fred Phelps was born in







Mississippi.............................
 
How can having a protest at the funeral of a young person that gave his life for their country be condoned one little bit? These soldiers didn't start the war...they went when sent..they try to fight it with dignity and compassion and a lot of times with their hands tied by politicians who govern by public opinion poll. Any person who tries to gain personally by interupting the solemn funeral of one of Americas most precious gems deserves to be shunned and ignored by the very system that they are trying to manipulate.
 
[font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]"Is a arresting the parent of a child stepping on a flag the most important thing this officer of the law has to do with his time? That is absurd.

We have a right to free speech and a right to lawfully protest. Going after someone for such a petty infraction is pure adolescent spite."

Charlie, I try to stay off the political topics because this is a duck boat site however, this time I feel compelled to add my 2 cents.

I have to agree 100% that we ALL have a right to voice our opinion and protest up to and including civil disobedience. In this case those involved choose the civil disobedience route. It should be fitting that they be ready to accept the consequences.

[/font][font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]"stepping on a flag" ----- "[/font][font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]such a petty infraction " I have to disagree with your opinion that intentional stepping or stomping on our nations flag is a " petty infraction". Setting the legalities aside, I cannot condone the disrespecting of our flag in any manner, for any reason. I feel that if I or any one else has an issue to protest, that protest can be carried out with out dragging our flag in to it. That flag represents each and every individual that lives or has lived in this great nation. It does not only stand for those that happen to be in positions of political power at any given moment.

I would hope that we could all make that simple distinction.


I do respect you and your right to your opinion, ( even if it is wrong, ;>) hehe)
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Charlie,

As much as I enjoy your posts here on the board, I have to disagree very strongly with you on this one.

The officer was doing his job upholding the law and making an effort to keep the peace.

"Phelps-Roper said she believes she has the right to use the flag as a symbol, and said Nebraska's law is outdated." If she believes she has the right to use the flag as a "symbol", why does she make her son do the dirty work for her? Why can't she have the balls to make the statement herself? Her son is too young to understand why and what he was asked to do.

My wife was in the National Guard during the first round we had over there when old George (Bush not Washington) was president. Her unit was next in line to be deployed from her station, things were a little tense for a while. My Dad is a Korean war vet. I don't agree with this war either(or the last one), but I'll be damned if I will stand to see people disrespect our soldiers, country or flag. And yes, I do think our founding fathers would be very proud of that officer for standing up for the law and the flag! Find your local American Legion or VFW post and go have a chat with some of the veterans who fought for our country. It may not completely change your views but then again you may understand why some of us feel so strongly about this.

We have the right to free speech and the right to lawfully protest because of those soldiers fighting for us. For God's sake can't these people make their "statements" without disrespecting the guys and gals who died protecting these rights?

OK, I'll get off my soap box. (insert smiley face here). Have a nice day!

Jim S
 
This was/is a subject, that just a few days ago, was a major concern. My nephew, a US Marine, was laid to rest last Friday. He was killed in action in Iraq. We were blessed that these hateful people didn't have this funeral on their list of protest sites. Charlie, I'm not saying they aren't within their constitutional rights to shout out hateful venomous blather during the burial of a Marine, but please place yourself graveside with a grieving mother, father, close family and 500 people from a town of 1000, listen to the mournful bagpipes, the bugeler, the 21 gun salute............ and 3 people screaming "God loves dead Marines!" "God Loves IEDs" "Your Marine rots in Hell!"

I'm sure you would just pat the hand of your wife and tell her "to pay no attention, this is what makes America great"

Again, I don't dispute their right to exist, I just question their methods. If you want to see what hateful, spiteful vermin these people are: www.godhatesfags.com
 
Terry I am very sorry for your families loss of your Nephew, I have been to more funerals since joining up with the patriot guard than I had in my entire life this past 12 months. The pain they feel bleeds into you it can not be avoided and has opened my eyes to a little more of life and that is the same feeling with most of us. I am glad to hear that WBC did not attend your nephews services and it was peaceful.

Very sorry for your loss and I thank him for serving our country and he can be free to soar witrh the eagles now rest assured.

Dave
 
I like to think we have learned one thing, during these times in my life when our country has sent men and women off to far away lands to go into harms way. The disrespecting of a Marine or his family is not the right way to handle a disagreement with the Governments policy. Clearly these folks on the 300 foot line did not get the message and are using some very sad moments in [font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]families[/font] lives for their own gain. What a shame. This should not have to be a law. No court or police officer can help when folks willingly ignore common sense and decency.
I want to ask Terry if he could post the picture of his nephews niece to remind us all what this is about. She and her mother deserve our thoughts and prayers as they try to go on without a loved one.
The picture has been in my mind the last four nights and I know we can all offer the family a large amount of support.
It is the loss that they bear that we all must try to help with and overcome.
Bob Butler
Noank CT
 
Understand this is a DUCK BOAT site also but I know many of you guys and gals out there and wanted to share this with that family.... Good stuff bad stuff its all part of life I guess.

I am going to share just a couple of photos out of a Kansas Funeral of what this group brings to a sad day for a family that has lost a loved one.........







Today if that happend it would not be a Hummer Limo blocking them but normaly a Big rig 18 wheeler will hide all of that from the view of the family.

I apologize if that upsets anyone but that is what is going on when familys across this country try and lay a son, daughter, brother, wife, sister ect to rest for Giving all they had for US.

If I have to Id rather see only this:






We all look forward to the day hopefuly not to far off that we dont need to do these funeral missions for our people serving in the current conflict in Iraq, But we alos provide flag line and respect for past veterans and Leo and Firefighters also. Thoes folks from WBC started a movement among now 100,000 members of the PGR and good will come from that in the end.

I better get off the soap crate ( a box wouldnt hold me) thaks for taking the time to read and If you see a veteran in your travles today thank them for what they gave.......


 
Now I see how the "pussification" of America happens.

It starts with loss of common sense and decency.

Whats next "Don't cops have any thing better to do than harass pedophiles"

Thank You Dave, it is a great thing you do
 
Would a roundhouse kick to the head of some of those nuts be covered by my first amendment right of free expression?
 
Just makes me sick, after 21 years in the military for me and a wife who did 28 we have an only son who is wanting to become a Marine. Roundhouse kick in the pants and a one way ticket off this continent if you ask me. Friends ask why I don't have a carry permit! Just my two cents sorry, I should stick to ducks, boats, dogs God and Country. (not in that order)
 
Dave:
For some reason I wasn't aware that you were a Patriot Rider. A hearty Thank You for the honor and service you show to our fallen heros. The Patriot Riders were manning a flag line in front of the school during visitation and funeral services, and then escorted the funeral procession to the cemetary. I talked to many of them and was able to thank them personally.
 
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