Not a joiner, but...

I’m not much of a joiner, but I enlisted in a potentially controversial organization yesterday. I did it because I felt compelled to do something to offset the pain being inflicted by members of the Westboro Baptist Church upon the families of U.S. military personnel killed in the line of duty.
The Topeka, Kans., church sends it members and sympathizers to the funerals of soldiers to protest and to proclaim that U.S. casualties are God’s punishment for America’s tolerant attitude toward gays. If you want to get a good dose of their craziness, visit their website: www.godhatesfags.com
Their hateful actions have created a huge backlash with legislatures in several states considering laws banning protests at funerals – a measure that doesn’t sit well with anyone who values our First Amendment rights to free speech.
I covered a funeral recently where a handful of WBC loonies showed up. Their presence was more than counterbalanced by a contingent of 60 or so members of the Patriot Guard Riders – a motorcycle organization whose membership is mostly veterans and Harley-Davidson riders.
I visited the Patriot Guard Riders’ website – www.patriotguard.org – yesterday and satisfied myself that I could be comfortable with their mission statement. They attend the funerals of service personnel to show support for the families and to shield the families from the disturbing presence of protesters. They attend only at the invitation of the families and with the knowledge and approval of local law enforcement. Their intent is to show respect and not to visit violence – however richly deserved – upon the WBC folks.
Even though I’m a BMW rider and not a fan of the black leather biker lifestyle look, I share their desire to show respect for those who gave their lives for our security, so I filled out the online form and signed up.
Looks like a lot of others are joining as well. Their membership counter indicates more than 400 people joined yesterday and another 988 have signed up today and it’s not even noon yet. Their total membership at the moment stands at 8,634, but at this rate they’ll top 10,000 by the weekend.