Dishonoring the Dead

I was reading this article on CNN, and the actions of the Rev. Fred Phelps made me very, very angry. Phelps organizes protests at the funerals of American military service members. His group's official stance:

Phelps believes American deaths in Iraq are divine punishment for a country that he says harbors homosexuals. His protesters carry signs thanking God for so-called IEDs -- explosives that are a major killer of soldiers in Iraq.

I can think of nothing more disgraceful than to use someone else's funeral as a political statement. The fact that their theory is so far off in right field just makes it that more insulting.

I'm normally wary of anyone who uses the term "Patriot" in political discourse, but I'm entirely in favor of the work of the Patriot Guard in counter-demonstrating and protecting the families of the fallen.