LCpl Thomas Rivers, Jr

I was just joking with the "God Hates Shrimp" suggestion the other day.

But this "God Hates Fags" thing, this is no joke.

Whether they show up or not, the members of Westboro Baptist Hate Group Church have made their feeling known and the threat of their protest has spurred good hearted folks to action.

Lance Corporal Thomas E. Rivers, Jr., USMC is being laid to rest today, having been killed due to enemy action on April 28, 2010, in Afghanistan.



Westboro Baptist members (who use title God Hates Fags in their web site) protest at funerals of fallen soldiers as well as memorial services for gay people with their misguided message that God hates America because of America's acceptance (somewhat debatable) of homosexuality.

That is all I am going to say about them, they do not even deserve that much attention on this blog.

LCpl. Rivers was an honorable man and from listening to his friends and others talk about him on the radio yesterday he deserves a dignified and respectful burial. His family deserves to not have their last moments with him disrupted by haters.

The family has asked the Patriot Guard Riders to participate today. This is posted on their web site.

Confirmed Mission:LCPL Thomas E. Rivers , Jr United States Marine Corps KIA ,
OEF (Afghanistan)6 , 7 MAY 10Birmingham AL

It is with a very sad heart that Alabama has lost another Hero.
Marine LCPL Thomas E. Rivers, Jr. of Birmingham, AL died while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan.This was LCPL Rivers second tour in the Middle East, as He previously served a tour in Iraq . The parents have invited the Patriot Guard Riders to stand in silent honor of their Hero.

Since Westboro Baptist's message is anti-gay, Equality Alabama has issued the following statement about the funeral and protest. This was also reported on Examiner.com.

Equality Alabama has learned that Lance Corporal Thomas E. Rivers, Jr. will
be laid to rest on Friday, May 7. We are deeply saddened by the loss of
this brave soldier who has fought so that we all may live in a country that
values freedom. We respect this family in their time of grief and deplore
any attempt to disrupt this ceremony or draw the attention of the family away
from their loved one and the celebrated life that he led.

Lance Corporal Rivers gave his heart to his faith and his life for our
country. We remember his bravery and the selfless act he performed for us
and the rest of our country. He died so that we may all be free. Members of the LGBT community look forward to the day that these freedoms are
enjoyed by all of us.

In the meantime we admonish the hateful message and the disrespectful
actions of the Westboro Baptist Church as they have announced plans to protest
at the funeral of Lance Corporal Rivers.

Equality Alabama is also asking the gay community to refrain from counter-protesting at the funeral, as this would only add fuel to the fire and please the haters.





Beyond the funeral for this man, let's just reject hatred. Hatred keeps our focus off the important issues. There are so many issues that need our attention in this nation, the most obvious is the disaster in the Gulf, but let's not forget the situation in Nashville, which seems to have been overlooked by the mainstream media.

to be continued...