MILITARY FUNERALS
Biker 'Guard' counters protests
A group of more than 5,000 motorcyclists travels the country attending military funerals, drowning out anti-gay protests.By RYAN LENZAssociated PressFORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - Wearing vests covered in military patches, a band of motorcyclists rolls around the country from one soldier's funeral to another, cheering respectfully to overshadow jeers from church protesters.
They call themselves the Patriot Guard Riders, and they are more than 5,000 strong, forming to counter anti-gay protests held by the Rev. Fred Phelps at military funerals.
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.
The bikers shield the families of dead soldiers from the protesters and overshadow the jeers with patriotic chants and a sea of red, white and blue flags.
x2 for people like those guys that have the drive and resources to counter this kind of injustice.