Below is a story I found here! I am posting this for all my NJ friends. They are trying to get local people to form a blockade in front of these wack jobs to drown them out so the family will not have to hear them. Please read and pass on!
Fallen N.J. soldier faces one more battle
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Erin Duffy
STAFF WRITER
Westboro Baptist Church, an extremist group infamous for picketing military funerals and other events, intends to protest at the funeral of U.S. Army Spc. Benjamin Moore, a Bordentown City native who was killed in Afghanistan last week.
On Monday, the Topeka, Kan.-based group posted a flier titled "God Hates America & Is Killing Our Troops in His Wrath" on its website.
Calling military funerals "pagan orgies of idolatrous blasphemy," the church calls for a demonstration at Moore's funeral Saturday morning at Trinity United Methodist Church in Bordentown.
News of the protest was met with outrage and dismay from friends of Moore, who have moved quickly to organize counterprotests and demonstrations to shield Moore's family from the protests of the controversial group.
"More than anything, we just want a peaceful service for his family," said Jordan Kostoplis, a friend who attended Bordentown Regional High School with Moore.
A member of the 693rd Engineer Company out of Fort Drum, N.Y., Moore, 23, was one of three soldiers killed in an IED (improvised explosive device) attack in Afghanistan's Ghazni province on Jan. 12.
Family members say Moore, a private first class who was posthumously promoted to specialist, was driving a truck when the roadside bomb exploded.
A volunteer firefighter and certified emergency medical technician, Moore collected a slew of medals after joining the Army in April 2009, including the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart.
That service and dedication to country is what should be the focus at Moore's funeral, friends say.
Instead, they're now scrambling to figure out a way to block the anticipated presence of Westboro Baptist members. Armed with neon signs with slogans such as "Thank God for IEDs," the church, recognized widely as an anti-gay group, has protested at thousands of funerals, football games and other events.
