Freedom, ugly and ungodly

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." -- Amendment I, U.S. Constitution

It is ironic that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which stood tall against the nefarious "Speaker Ban Law" more than three decades ago, finds itself being raked over the coals this week by a conservative think tank for restricting the speech of others.

But that's the way freedom works. What's offensive to some may be poetry to others.

The First Amendment was written to shield not only those with whom we agree but those whose goal is to be a rhetorical bomb-thrower. Our forefathers clearly thought it worthwhile to protect loudmouthed jerks, too.

Last May, a high school drama group in Durham drew the attention of Fred Phelps and his band from the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan. Phelps' followers travel the country doing anything they can that draws attention to their truly nasty anti-gay campaign.

They came to Durham to protest "The Laramie Project," a play about a gay student beaten to death in Wyoming. Some of their protest signs read "God Hates Fags" and "Thank God For AIDS." They got attention, but the play sold even more tickets to people offended by such behavior.

I fear we have not seen the last of them. Phelps and his followers have expanded their shock tactics in an effort to draw attention to their anti-gay hate crusade. Now they have taken to claiming that natural and man-made disasters are a sign of God's anger toward homosexuals and a society that tolerates them. So they wipe their feet on U.S. flags while waving signs that say "Thank God for Sept. 11" and "God Hates America."

Their latest efforts are even more heartbreaking affronts to common decency. Phelps' gang of Talibanlike thugs has announced plans to attend a memorial service Sunday in West Virginia at which they will hold signs saying "God Hates the Sago Miners" and "Thank God for 12 Dead Miners."

If they survive -- which, knowing West Virginians, is not a done deal -- they plan to continue appearing at the funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq. Their favorite funeral signs read "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "Thank God for IEDs."

God surely weeps for those who would use his name to spew such blasphemous cruelty.

The only group to consistently stand against Phelps' ugly tactics is the Patriot Guard Riders, a hastily organized collection of mostly bikers and veterans who dog the Phelps group's every appearance.

More than 3,000 riders and vets have volunteered to support families of casualties. They exercise their freedom of speech by revving their engines, waving American flags and blocking the Phelps gang with their own bodies so grieving families won't have to see or hear insults to their fallen soldiers.

With as many casualties as we've had from North Carolina, it is only a matter of time before the Phelps gang, like the flu bug, returns to bedevil us.

Where will you stand when they do?