WELCOME, Minn. - A group that had planned to protest at Saturday's funeral for a Marine killed in Iraq said it decided not to attend - but a new law restricting such protests wasn't the reason for its absence.
Margie Phelps, an attorney for Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., said the group got so much publicity in advance of the funeral for Lance Cpl. Robert Posivio III that it decided to protest a funeral in New Hampshire instead.
The group, consisting of family and supporters of preacher Fred Phelps, believes that God is punishing America for accepting homosexuality. At past demonstrations, picketers have carried signs with messages such as "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "God Hates Fags."
A new Minnesota law bans protests within 500 feet of a funeral. The bill gained quick support from lawmakers after Phelps' supporters demonstrated at a February funeral in Anoka for an Army corporal who died in Iraq.
more:
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/state/14734070.htm