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Kansas anti-gay church to protest military funeral in Abingdon
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Abingdon (Map, News) - Members of a Kansas church who believe God is punishing this country for its tolerance of homosexuality will picket the funeral Saturday of Petty Officer 2nd Class David Roddy.
“The reason that the fruits of this nation are being killed ... is because God is cursing this nation,” said Rebecca Phelps-Davis, a spokeswoman for the Westboro Baptist Church.
She said about 10 members of the Westboro Baptist Church will be present at Roddy’s funeral, and they plan to arrive at Saint Francis de Sales Catholic Church in Abingdon around 9:15 a.m. Roddy’s funeral is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
Phelps-Davis said Westboro protesters attend the funerals that they can, given that parishioners have their own lives. They do not attend military funerals to cause violence, but to spread their beliefs, she said.
“He died for their right to protest,” said Robert Roddy, Roddy’s father. “But for them to protest at a funeral ... if I had my way with them, all of them would be arrested and then they would be on a plane the next day to Iraq.”
Robert Roddy took some comfort from the fact that state law requires the Westboro picketers to protest his son’s funeral at a distance of 300 feet away, and also that a contingent of Patriot Guard Riders — a group that stands between protesters and funeral mourners — will be on hand.
“It’s unfortunate that in this day and age, people feel the need to protest the funeral of a hero,” said Bob Thomas, a spokesman for the Harford County Sheriff’s Office.
He said sheriff’s deputies and Maryland state troopers will be on hand to direct traffic and prevent violence sparked by the presence of the Westboro picketers.
Roddy, 32, of Abingdon, was a graduate of Bel Air High School and Harford Community College.
He had been offered a temporary leave from Iraq to recuperate after seeing his partner blown up by a homemade bomb in late August, but turned down the offer.
Three weeks later, on Sept. 16, Roddy was killed when a roadside bomb exploded.
Capital News Service contributed to this report.
mplum@baltimoreexaminer.com
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Opeth said:
I did this with the class of '98 in 1994. It was a long summer. The school year is even more difficult. There are all of the plebe obligations, no tv, no radio, and no freedom until the next summer. On top of that, the plebe has to carry a normal college work load. That's the hardest part. The day starts at 6AM and you have to be in bed by 10 PM depending on the company you are in. It's all about time management.
1 agree | 1 disagree
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Elysha fan said:
Clever title Elysha. Very clever.
1 agree | 1 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Its amazing that our government is doing the same thing the nazis did and the american people dont seem to care.
8 agree | 6 disagree
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Maximos said:
Cool!
193 agree | 199 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Dining or eating without a spoon or a knife but only with a fork? I can't imagine that. Unbelievable! What does one do if one is served soup?
185 agree | 174 disagree
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JES said:
As profitable and immidiately satisfying to our security and interests the verichip may be; we must not trade our true identities(Our Birthright), to any corporation or organization that will almost inevitably be missused to seperate us from our Father who is in Heaven. Do not be fooled, there are only temporal benifits to allowing the chip implant. Psalm 118:8-9 "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes." We don't need electricity! We need a revelation of the Holy Spirits use of Pneumatolagy. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and He will keep your path straight"!
201 agree | 217 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
The idea of these RFID chips is absolutely ridiculous. They are just a new way of making things more difficult in the name of making things easier. They say that using these will help track illegal immigrants, and to help instantly access vital information, but is this really of utmost importance in this society? All it's really doing is making people more vulnerable, among many other things, just so people can be a little bit lazier. This is complete idiocy, not to mention, the work of the devil. People, look at the big picture here-is this really a good idea?
289 agree | 267 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
" I have a message for the family Phelps. You guys should move to Iran. They don't have gays there, and they also hate America."
291 agree | 263 disagree
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01 said:
this is the work of the devil!!!!!!
258 agree | 267 disagree
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Alexander L. Gray said:
This Is Crazy. Putting Micro-Chips in our soldiers Bodies. It's says it in the Bible and that's whats happening hear. It Specifically says in Our Fore head or Right arm in the book of Revelation is where you could find out whats happening now and stuff that's about to happen. The Bible was Written 100's of Thousands of Year Ago and for it to be Exactly Correct is no Coincidence. It's A Fact that there is a lot of wars and Rumors of wars. Like the 1 between the U.S and Iraq and maybe next Iran. Or what about the Holy War Between Isreal And Palestien. Or the U.S and N. Korea's Nuclear Beef. And the Nuclear arms race is no Joke. It all makes sense to me. We can't stop alot of this stuff from happening because thats what the bible says but we sure could protest it and Get Closer To God. And I mean Jesus Christ. These are all sign of the End. You know "Armagedon". The towers Ordeal should of woke you guys up..anyways Visit the site: Terrorcine
360 agree | 388 disagree
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Examiner Reader - Ted Arsenault said:
Just as hackers read the internet, so will the enemy be able to read the chips in soldier's arms. Prisoners will no longer be able to admit to just name, rank and serial number.
415 agree | 417 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
i think that anyone who says these things about people who are defending there country should die in hell... and i will personally make sure of that.... if my brother who is in the marines died fighting for this country and they did this at his funeral... they would not be breathing anymore...
682 agree | 526 disagree
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Doug said:
Once they microchip us, it's over folks. Visit TerrorCinema.org and do your home work.
502 agree | 524 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
This is seriously insane. God loves everybody alike, who does this church think they are, god himself? God will judge and He says, He only is allowed to. I think church people who think they can so love less to disturb a funeral, where people mourn over a lost one, that's rude. I believ that everyone sins and God doesn't compare that one sin is worse than the other, He needed to sent His Son down to recue verybody, not just gays. I just sick thinking to act like that. And I am a christian too.
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Examiner Reader said:
Theyll get more then they thought because the folks moving in are used to much higher taxes and will demand the services like they had where they left. The key question is what will Maryland look like in 10 years with property taxes averaging $8000 per household. Its coming folks :)
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Examiner Reader said:
Maryland should not get this aid anymore then a losing town should receive more aid because the Federal Government made a decision based on bogus data which had a negative impact on their economy. Remember folks Maryland lobbied hard to get all this expansion, now its time to get ready and pay for it. An after the fact plea for dollars shoiuld be dismissed outright.
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JoeOvercoat said:
Just for everyone's information - Americans are not looking for any 'revenge' for the 'Black Hawk Down' battle, as it was a long time ago by American standards (short attention span, don't you know), and any Americans that care to remember know that hundreds, if not thousands, of Somalian combatants and non-combatants died in that battle.
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Jama said:
This report has simply proved that America is not only fighting AL_Qaida or terror but also fighting against ISLAM. it also proved the American double standardism. Ethiopia has cowardly engaged a war on country and it's people who has been suffering for the last 19 years. would Ethiopia be able to attack a united Somalia? let the history witness the consequences of this balatant and unwaranted agression on my country and it's people.
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Mohammed said:
We are getting more report on violence in Somalia as compared to during the Union of Islamic Courts days, simply because the public have decided to abide by the Sharia Law and unite all clans, however since the Bush adminstration heard the word Islamic Courts, they accused them of talabanism and terrorism. I dont only blame the US for this mess as they seek revenge for their loss in 1991 but also Ethiopia who also are seeking their revenge during their defeat in the Ogden war, Ethiopia also wants to take over the port of Somalia, however i manly blame the so-called TFG for this mess and they surely do not represent Somalia. TFG have detroyed everything in Mogadishu under the pre-text of clanism, this is a pure genocide and yet thousands of people die under the so-called terrorism in Somalia. Surely the Somalian people do not want US dempcracy imposed on them, the democracy that is evil and caused instability. US LEARN FROM IRAQ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Examiner Reader said:
It is the first time that there is something that appear to be a government shines in Somalia. Blaming others does not make us saints. We have to take our responsibilty and accept that we destroyed our country, we are continuing it now. Clan always is more important than our common goal. Look here; a good example is here all readers who used their names who are commented this article came from one clan and they are all negative to the situation, though they may not condone the scattered explosions that is happening in our capital city. So will we be wrong if we draw to a conclusion that one interested group is against the TFG and would like us to keep the status quo? History will judge it. There are foreign forces-Ethiopia and Uganda- in Somalia. We need them to leave as soon as possible so let us stop creating situations that will give them excuses to stay longer. Let us work with the TFG and change the situation to lead us to free and fair elections.
629 agree | 838 disagree
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Dahabo Dowlo said:
The war on terror and search for 3 Alqaeda members has taken the lives of thousands innocent civilians and resulted genocide, destruction, looting and displacements of thousand of many others. Does the American administration and implementation of democracy mean to impose a warlord government and a dictator president that Somalis have not elected? Does this mean to justify the Ethiopian illegal invasion in Somalia to make a sovereign nation controlled and administered in Addis Ababa rules by another Dictator Meles Zenawe who failed even to feed his own people? Does Somalis have freedom of press and democratic rights to elect who they want to govern their country as western people? Ethiopian aggressor should be out of Somalia now.
736 agree | 778 disagree
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Ganey said:
Will the US goverment please pull their dogs (Ethiopia) off Somalia now that this report debunks the much touted Al-Qaeda presence in Somalia. Or will the US regime bury this report and not admit to another intelligence failure. Looks like the Ethiopians pulled a fast one on the mighty US and put them upto this.
711 agree | 697 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Promoting security and good government in Africa can only be achieved if Africa make economic progress and the US should implement free trade rules so that African farmers have equal footing in the world market. If people are hungry and no job, there is no peace for all and we are all in one ship. If US and other developed nations follow such a strategy to Africa, the ship will sail safe, other wise we all sink together.
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Awale said:
If it was common knowledge that it is impractical for terror groups to operate in Somalia at the same time thousands of innocent slaughtered in last three months for the sake of fight against terror by USA and their Ethiopian allies in Somalia. Isn’t it obvious that the killing behind those attacks were to revenge Black Hawk Down battle? Or is it their policy to object Islamic rule anywhere in the world regardless of the will of sovereign country and their people? Somalia deserves to decide their future administration and foreign intervention proved to further complicate the conflicts therefore solution lies the immediate withdrawal of Ethiopian forces from Somalia.
721 agree | 753 disagree
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Mohamed Ingiriis said:
This is a well-written report accurately proved that Somalia has never been a terrorist hub and haven. But a Machiavellian Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, benefetting from the huge budget of war on terror, constantly misleads the Bush Administration to find financial aid that would sustain his totalitarian regime. The Bush Administration has given a green signal to Ethiopia to invade civil war-stricken Somalia, and that should be a violation of the integrity of Somalis and their territorial integrity. In fact, anguished Somalis are desperately staring at Washington to stop this proxy war currently going on in Somalia. Given this military report, If US has recognized that al Qaeda could never establish its roots in Somalia, it must be a time to pull Ethiopians out of Somalia.
703 agree | 787 disagree
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Mohamed Ingiriis said:
This is a well-written report vehemently proved that Somalia hasn't been hosted any terrorists whatsoever. But Machiavellian Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia is misleading the US to receive financial aid to sustain his totalitarian regime. Anguished Somalis are staring at Washington to cease this proxy war in Somalia.
758 agree | 849 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
Why aren't the French doing this? I thought they had good relations with Algeria. Our guys have plenty to do and it would be nice if France and most the rest of Europe would make an effort to help.
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Examiner Reader said:
This is very misleading, is this not part of the war supplementalwhich bush is going to Veto as soon as it reaches his desk. Unless I have my wires crossed this money will not materialize.
1,323 agree | 727 disagree
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Examiner Reader said:
How do you know they didnt grossly underestimate the number of people like they did at Ft. Meade? My guess is they made the same mistake and MD needs to plan for 4 times the numbers they originally put forward.
1,318 agree | 720 disagree
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