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To the People has reported several times on the conflict between religious zealots who protest the funerals of U.S. soldiers to raise awareness about the "evils" of homosexuality and the local and state policymakers who are trying to stop them. The issue continues to boil. After a despicable protest over the weekend at the funeral of a National Guardsman in Flushing, Michigan, a member of Congress introduced legislation to ban protests at national cemeteries (at least during funeral ceremonies). But, such legislation is probably unconstitutional. A better approach would be to privatize our nation's cemeteries so that owners can bar people not invited by the family. I mean, do we really need a National Cemetery Administration?

On a more personal note, I'm deeply saddened to be part of the same species as the funeral protesters:

The Westboro protesters gathered early Saturday morning outside St. Robert Catholic Church in Flushing, hoisting signs that read “God Hates You” and “Thank God for Dead Soldiers,” according to news reports and photos on the church website, www.godhatesfags.com.

On the site, the church refers to a recent Associated Press report about four soldiers dying from a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Underneath the article, the church comments that it wishes “it were not 4, but 4,000 more dead soldiers [sic].” The website also “thanks God” for Hurricane Katrina and the Sept. 11 attacks.

Although it is unclear exactly why the church is protesting the funerals, the church advocates the death penalty for homosexual acts and has picketed several other churches in the state for failing to take a stand against homosexuals. It has also attacked the military for employing a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy toward homosexuals.......

[A spokeperson for the crazy religous zealots said] it is not a coincidence that those states that have addressed legislation banning her churches’ activities have experienced a spate of deadly tornadoes.