Justine Snyder

Evaluation & Proposal

English 1102
Audience- Protestors

God Created Everyone

Sixty-five years ago, caskets filled of World War II soldiers landed onto North American

territory. Despite the feeling of despair, families and community members gathered together to

greet America’s fallen soldiers with cheers of celebration. Women and children held enormous

signs painted with words of respect and thanks. People bowed their heads to pray for those men

who had died fighting for their country. No one questioned the race or religion of these men, it

was a moment of honor for those who had passed. Most present did not even know any of the

deceased personally, however, they gathered together to create a respectful ceremony of

supporters for those who had died defending their country (Alpers). If sixty-five years ago,

strangers can show respect for those who had died defending their country then why cannot

people of 2011 do the very same? My question, to those protestors, is when in our American

society did it become morally acceptable to disgrace the death of another human being?

As of March 2011, the Supreme Court ruled protesting and picketing military funerals as

legal, as it is protected under our First Amendment rights (FoxNews). Even though, identifying

the protesting as illegal would arise too many controversial issues violating amendments, one of

our countries very own Chief Justices openly admitted that the current actions of speech are

incorrigible. Following the final ruling, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. stated, “Speech is

powerful. It can stir people to action, move them to tears of both joy and sorrow, and- as it is

doing here- inflict great pain (Knobel).” Inflicting great pain is exactly what the current rallying

against the war is doing.

“Our attitude toward what’s happening with the war is that the Lord is punishing this evil
nation for abandoning all moral imperatives that are worth a dime,” rebutted, a common

Westboro Baptist Church leader during a trial (Fox News). If this is the stake of claim, have we

not all been properly educated in history? As “Social Darwinism” states individuals, groups, and

peoples are subject to the same laws of natural selection to survive. Our country has been built

on one’s individual right to defend. Men and women have fought and died for years to just give

our people these freedoms; they have fought, murdered, and died just to obtain the ability to

practice this very right. Morals have been lost, but yet found again to establish peace and

stability for us, for our children, and the generations to come.

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines “protesting” as the action of expressing an

objection to a policy or course of action adopted by authority. The people being affected by the

protests are not in positions of authority; they are grieving mothers, widowed wives, lonely

friends, and confused children trying to lay their loved one down to rest in peace. Going about

picketing the funeral of a fallen solider is not going to make a difference in anyone’s life besides

those grieving loved ones. By disrupting the mourning process, the foundation of the Anti-War

movement is just creating fury, not support. Stop targeting that soldier whose found a career in

the war, who is happy to not have to struggle to find work to put food in their families lives. Use

a tactical protesting method of targeting the true decision makers of our country. Disrupt the

lives of that Chief Justice, the Department of Defense, and those Congressmen who pass

legislature on a daily basis without regret and a greater effect may occur.

Not every individual is going to agree or support our country at war. It is nearly

impossible for a country to have a united opinion on a cause. As a democracy, we are all entitled

to our own beliefs and the right to express those beliefs. By carrying signs covered in abrasive

words of hate such as, “God Hates Killers” “Thank God For Dead Soldiers” and “God Hates
Fags”, the action only becomes trivial (Paragould Daily Press). If the purpose of the protesting is

solely based upon our nation deserting morals then use a peaceful, ethical approach to create

action. Because the truth is, if we are really rallying for God we must remember God created

everyone.
 Works Cited

Alpers, "Imagining a Democratic Military in World War II," Journal of American History (June
1998).

Knobel, Dale. "America for the Americans": Movements in the United States. New York: Twayne,
2010.

St. Louis Post- Dispatch. "Paragould Daily Press: Serving Greene County, Arkansas Opinion."
Paragould Daily Press: Serving Greene County, Arkansas Front. 10 Mar. 2011. Web. 18 Apr.
2011.

“Westboro Fights Back.” FoxNews.com. Fox News Network, 19 January 2011. Web. 17 April 2011.