Funerals are one of the worst events that a person can attend, add in the fact that you may be burying a spouse, or your child and it is even more heinous. Losing a loved one is a horrible thing to have to deal with, but unfortunately one that happens all to often.
The United States is at war and has been at war for over 10 years. With war comes death, burial and mourning. Burying someone you love is hard enough without having to deal with protesters. Add into the mix that these protesters are members of a church and call themselves Christians and you have added cruelty.
Saying goodbye to someone you love is something that we will all have to do at some time in our life. Funerals allow us the time to grieve, but also remember the person we lost in better times. We can share our memories, the good and the bad, we can cry and laugh and hopeful make it through the process.
But, protesting at a fallen soldiers funeral is not a Christian act. It is something a person does to obtain their 15 minutes of fame. As a religious person, no matter what your faith, you should realize how wrong this type of behavior is and while it may be viewed as freedom of speech, it is wrong.
The men and women who make the decision to enlist, do so, in order to allow us as Americans to have the right to Free Speech. Even if you do not agree with the war, you should honor their devotion to this country and the freedoms that they have fought and died to defend. These brave souls have the right to be laid to rest with dignity and love, not with signs of hate and ugliness.
For the ACLU to become involved in favor of these protesters is beyond belief. The ACLU had the ability to defend these protesters because of the sacrifice of these military men and women. How ironic that the ACLU would stand up for these protester, instead of the families.
As Americans we have the right to protest. That being said, we do not have the right to harm families by protesting at their loved ones funeral. This is an obscene, cowardly act by unchristian individuals. Understanding what drives these people is unfathomable to most people. Perhaps if they had to live through the same thing, then they would understand the pain they are causing. If nothing else, they should read what the Bible says about forgiveness, love and understanding. Maybe they should think for themselves instead of doing what their religious leader tells them to do. Protesting at a funeral is not Freedom Speech, it just poor taste and basically just wrong.
We don't have to agree about the war. We don't have to agree about our men and women choosing to enlist in the military. What we do have to do is honor their wishes. We need to have honor ourselves and allow the families to mourn and grieve in peace. Funerals are painful on the best of days without outsides screaming and yelling ugly and distaste comments.
The veterans who appear at these funerals to protect the families are heroes and are to be applauded for the honor they show they fallen comrades and their families. American citizens should also standby the families and show their support, regardless of political views. Respecting each other at these times should be more important than political ideals. Media outlets should refuse to write or report on these protesters. If you take away their 15 minutes of fame, then they will crawl back from where ever they came from.
Remember our fallen military men and women with honor and respect. Support their families and loved one with the same respect that you would want to receive. Remember the Golden Rule. Do on to others, as you would want done on to you.
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