Patriot Guard Riders form to control Fred Phelps protests

Cross-posted at Marathon Pundit.

The loudmouth kooks of the Westboro Baptist "Church" and the Reverend Fred Phelps have organized opposition against them, the Patriot Guard Riders. There have been significant counterprotests against Phelps, notably this bad day for the Westboro folks a few months ago in Tennessee.

I've been closely following the nuts from this church for almost six months. They've disrupted many soldier's funerals in Illinois. Lt. Governor Pat Quinn plans to introduce legislation next month to outlaw protests within 300 feet of military funerals.

The Westboro congregation consists of Reverend Phelps and his 100 or so relatives and in-laws. Phelps first gamed infamy for picketing the funerals of AIDS victims in the 1980s.

The mentally unbalanced Kansan is operating under the delusion the God is punishing America for its toleration of homosexuality--he views each soldier's death as a message from God that America needs to "repent." The group's web site is here, it's called God Hates Fags.

For the most part, wrongly, the MSM has chosen to ignore Phelps and his protests. As often the case these days, once again, this is a blog-driven story.

Bill Hobbs' blogging ignited the August Tennessee protests. Some Soldier's Mom sounded the alarm in Arizona. Here in Illinois, Peoria Pundit and Capitol Fax filled in the sizable void that the local media left for us.

Michelle Malkin has more on Phelps on her blog.