Marine’s dad ordered to pay protesters’ court fees

By Aaron Spuler | March 30, 2010 |

The father of a Marine killed in Iraq and whose funeral was picketed by anti-gay protesters from Kansas was ordered to pay the protesters’ appeal costs, his lawyers said Monday.

On Friday, Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ordered Snyder to pay $16,510 to Fred Phelps. Phelps is the leader of Topeka’s Westboro Baptist Church, which conducted protests at Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder’s funeral in 2006.

The two-page decision supplied by attorneys for Albert Snyder of York, Pa., offered no details on how the court came to its decision.

Attorneys also said Snyder is struggling to come up with fees associated with filing a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court.

The decision adds “insult to injury,” said Sean Summers, one of Snyder’s lawyers.

The high court agreed to consider whether the protesters’ message is protected by the First Amendment or limited by the competing privacy and religious rights of the mourners.

Behavior like this disgusts me.  This man’s son died while serving our country, and these losers use the Marine’s funeral to protest?  Not only that, but they take the man to court to boot…

If anyone knows of a way to get some money to Mr. Snyder to help pay the fees, please let me know.  I’d like to help out and contribute something.

Source:
http://www.kansas.com/2010/03/29/1246609/marines-dad-ordered-to-pay-protesters.html

UPDATE
SayUncle picked up on this story too, but was resourceful enough to find a way to help the Synder family.  Just go to http://www.matthewsnyder.org/help.html to find out how you can help.

Posted in Military, Patriotism

3 Comments

  1. Tim Frazier on March 30, 2010 at 2:40 pm

    Fred Phelps is a scumbag who has done untold damage to Christianity through his truly hateful and very unchristian protests.

    I disagree with the gay culture but Phelps makes me feel sympathetic to them.

    The fact that he goes after families of military service members simply proves that he’s an insane publicity hound who has no true concept about what the ministry of his professed God is really about. Sometimes I think the answer is to protest the protesters. If Shehan could camp out at George W. Bushes personal driveway why can’t we all go set up outside Phelp’s house and church and nag him and his loony followers all day?

    Thanks for posting this. I didn’t know this poor family was still having to suffer at the hands of that little anti-christ masquerading as a preacher.



  2. Chris Smith on March 30, 2010 at 5:41 pm

    There isn’t anything wrong with Fred Phelps or his followers that can’t be solved by 168 grains of diplomacy.



  3. Bear on March 31, 2010 at 11:47 am

    This just PISSES ME OFF! I cannot even put into words how angry this makes me!