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| Fifth Column |
| Lejeune Commander Orders Marines To Avoid Westboro Protestors |
| 2008-01-18 |
| The commander of Camp Lejeune, N.C., ordered her leathernecks to stay away from an anti-military and anti-gay group that has promised to demonstrate at the base following the death of a pregnant Marine. The Topeka, Kan.-based Westboro Baptist Church, which frequently pickets the funerals of military members, said it will demonstrate at the base at noon Saturday. “God hates the U.S. Marines,” the group said in a statement. Col. Adele Hodges, base commander, told her troops to “leave the area immediately” if they came into contact with the group. “Do not attempt to engage in any verbal taunting or physical altercation with this group,” Hodges said, in a written message to the Marines. “We believe they want to generate additional publicity by provoking such a confrontation. Do not help them in this effort by engaging in any provocative behavior.” Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach, 20, was seven months pregnant when she was reported missing from the base Dec. 19. The burned remains of Lauterbach and her baby were found Friday in the backyard of Cpl. Cesar Armando Laurean, who is accused of killing her. A preliminary autopsy found the cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head. Laurean is the subject of an international manhunt. He is a naturalized American citizen with ties to Mexico, where he was born. The church group announced the planned demonstration on its Web site. “The wonderful, spit-and-polish Marine [Lauterbach] is over eight months pregnant and says another wonderful Marine raped her, and … now she turns up dead,” the statement reads. “Based on our extensive experience with Marines for over a decade, we can testify that these are typical Marines.” The fundamentalist church has received national attention in recent years for picketing military funerals, claiming that God is punishing the U.S. for allowing homosexuality. In October, a Baltimore jury awarded the father of a Marine killed in Iraq $10.9 million in damages after finding that the church had inflicted emotional distress and invaded his family’s privacy by picketing the funeral of his son, Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder of York, Pa. The church has appealed the case, and one of its leaders, Shirley Phelps-Roper, said members would continue to picket military funerals. |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |
| #11 ahhh but the Westboro buses travel through winding mountain passes, with little additional |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-01-18 21:56 |
| #10 Westboro funds itself through lawsuit proceeds. The Marines don't want them in their deep pockets. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-01-18 20:33 |
| #9 I hope she has video cameras rolling and watching the protesters who may well start something of their own Now there's something friends and supporters of the Corps can do. Just follow the Westboro crew silently videoing them from all angles, from the moment they arrive until they sputter out. No words, no threats, keep a legal distance ... and keep videoing each one of them from every angle the whole time. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-01-18 19:45 |
| #8 Call in an airstrike; problem solved... |
| Posted by: Raj 2008-01-18 19:18 |
| #7 I hope she has video cameras rolling and watching the protesters who may well start something of their own (attacking a marine walking by for example) in order to generate headlines. Multiple angles. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2008-01-18 19:16 |
| #6 It's an election year and this case has high national profile. Not the time or place to beat the living shit out of those turds. Somewhen/where, just not now/there. |
| Posted by: lotp 2008-01-18 18:24 |
| #5 Col. A. Hodges has no authority with former Marines. (Hint hint) Too bad she forgot the good old days, when Camp Pendleton decided they had had enough of Tijuana police bogus harassment and... |
| Posted by: Phinater Thraviger 2008-01-18 18:21 |
| #4 Those protesters would also be wise to not let the sun set on them until they are a long way away from the camp. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-01-18 18:08 |
| #3 Sometime these yahoos are going to run into a group of people that for reasons of stress will not be able to restrain themselves. They will then get the living crap beat out of them. And the persons who get into trouble will be the beaters. What surprises me is that it hasn't happened yet |
| Posted by: Cheadderhead 2008-01-18 18:07 |
| #2 That Commander would be wise to temporarily restrict the sale of alcoholic beverages at the enlisted clubs on post, and to set up an "invisible perimeter" of NCOs to keep observation of the area around the protesters throughout the demonstration. Not just to protect these people from their Marines, but to protect them from Marine families and Marine friends. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2008-01-18 18:06 |
| #1 Wise words, commander,. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2008-01-18 18:06 |