BISMARCK, North Dakota (AP) -- A church group that protests at military funerals around the country will be barred from services for an American Indian soldier on a reservation, tribal officials say.

 

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, planned to demonstrate at National Guard Cpl. Nathan Goodiron's funeral on Saturday at the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.

 

Church members say the deaths of soldiers are punishment from God for the country's tolerance of homosexuals.

 

Tribal leaders passed a resolution Friday that prohibits the group from protesting on the reservation, said Marcus Wells Jr., chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes.

 

"We will not tolerate any harassment that is intended to provoke ill feelings and violence," he said.

 

Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of the Rev. Fred Phelps Sr., pastor of Westboro Baptist, said her group planned to protest outside the reservation "on public rights of way."

 

"We don't get into anyone's private area," said Phelps-Roper, the church's attorney and its spokeswoman. "We don't go on private land."

 

Goodiron, 25, of Mandaree, known on the reservation as Young Eagle, was killed Thanksgiving Day in Afghanistan when a grenade struck his vehicle while he was on patrol. He was a member of the 1st Battalion of the North Dakota National Guard's 188th Air Defense Artillery.

 

Tribal officials said he was the first member of the Three Affiliated Tribes to be killed in the war on terror.

 

American and tribal flags are being flown at half staff on the reservation to honor Goodiron.

 

"We recognize and respect the right to free speech and the public's right to assemble, but we want everyone to know that the Three Affiliated Tribes, as a sovereign tribal government, has the right to regulate any person or persons who harass and show disrespectful conduct towards our members, within our boundaries," Wells said in a statement.

 

Wells said tribal police would prevent the protesters from coming on the reservation.

 

 

It might be playing into the hand of those attention whore assholes, but more folks need to tell Phelps and crew to GFY. If they want to protest on public land, let them go stand in a freeway.

The best thing that can happen for the gay rights movement in the US is for the Phelps crew to keep doing what they're doing. They're honestly doing a far better job of displaying the insanity of anti-gay sentiment than a group like GLAAD is.

One thing about Phelps...to me he's like Bill O'Reilly. He is one of those few people or issues that sane people of either left or right wing thought can agree on...he's an insane attention whore scumbag who deserves to have something very bad happen to him. It saddens me that he gets as much press as he does, as to me he is the living definition of lunatic fringe.

This is going to sound like a pointed question, but it's really not.

 

I know a lot of conservatives don't like Bill O'Reilly. Who is a conservative voice in the media that most conservatives do like, and what are the differences between that person and O'Reilly? I only ask because I can distinguish between someone like Michael Moore and someone like Bill Clinton more than I can distinguish between O'Reilly or Anne Coulter and, say, George W. Bush. Admittedly, part of that is probably because I lean left politically, as there are probably some on the right who think Michael Moore embodies everything that Democrats stand for as well.

From what I've heard before, O'Reilly doesn't even consider himself conservative.

 

I have heard good things about MSNBC. I have not been able to ever watch it, so I do not know if it is true or not. For the most part, look for a news paper columnist. Perhaps try a local radio talk show. I am not sure of any American ones in particular. I generally agree with the viewpoints of Charles Adler. He used to have a great sunday current events show. But for some reason he got canned after the first year. It is very refreshing to hear he's back on radio now.

 

I find it funny how you mention some conservatives may believe that Michael Moore represents the Democrats since from my experience every Michael Moore fan was a strong Democrat.

Sorry if this sounds to be trolling. I noticed this part of the article:

 

We will not tolerate any harassment that is intended to provoke ill feelings and violence

How are the living conditions at that reserve? It just sounds very odd seeing as an overwhelming majority of reserves I have experience with treat ill feelings and violence as normal everyday events.

Sorry if this sounds to be trolling. I noticed this part of the article:

 

We will not tolerate any harassment that is intended to provoke ill feelings and violence

How are the living conditions at that reserve? It just sounds very odd seeing as an overwhelming majority of reserves I have experience with treat ill feelings and violence as normal everyday events.

 

 

The conditions are probably less than ideal, but I doubt that attention whore hate mongers are commonplace.

This is going to sound like a pointed question, but it's really not.

 

I know a lot of conservatives don't like Bill O'Reilly. Who is a conservative voice in the media that most conservatives do like, and what are the differences between that person and O'Reilly? I only ask because I can distinguish between someone like Michael Moore and someone like Bill Clinton more than I can distinguish between O'Reilly or Anne Coulter and, say, George W. Bush. Admittedly, part of that is probably because I lean left politically, as there are probably some on the right who think Michael Moore embodies everything that Democrats stand for as well.

 

Good question...however I'm probably not the best person to ask. To be honest, if I was forced to identify my political leanings, I would say that I am a Paleolibertarian. I am ideologically opposed to the right wing on a variety of issues. I am for smaller government and less spending. I am for personal freedom, and I do not want the religious sect of the right wing telling me what I can or cannot watch, listen to, or do. (Or who I can sleep with.) I am also a strong believer in Animal Rights (I help run a wildlife sanctuary now.)

 

However, I certainly am more "right" leaning than left leaning. I have many conservative friends and some family members. I don't know anybody who likes O'Reilly for the simple fact that he is uninformed, and rude. He is also a sensationalist. He tends to talk about things which he doesn't know enough about, or aren't really important issues and then when he finds somebody who disagrees with him, he screams and yells at them, which totally destroys any chance for a civil debate. You're not going to convince anybody that you're right and they're wrong by yelling or using rhetoric, you can only do it by reason and logic, and O'Reilly is bereft of both of those.

 

Then you have your Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh types. I know for a fact that there are those "dittoheads" who actually hang on every word Rush says and take him 100% seriously. Many do not. I listen to him, but I don't always agree with him, and I take him with a grain of salt. He does make me laugh at times. One major issue is that people ignore is that Rush's act is satire much of the time, and many of his more outrageous statements are made tongue in cheek. Hardcore conservatives seem unable to differentiate when he is being outrageous just for the sake of it, or when he is being totally serious. Same for Coulter. There can be little doubt that much of what she and Rush say are done for shock value and attention. So while people like those two have a fanbase, they are hardly universally hailed as right wing icons. However, I would say Limbaugh or even Coulter would stand up better in a debate than O'Reilly would.

 

If you want to know from my personal experience a media figure who most right wing people I know respect, the first and most obvious name I can think of right away would be William F. Buckley, Jr. He is not afraid to have a disagreement with somebody based on logic and intellect, not hyperbole. David Frum would be another for sure. He is able to back up his opinions in an intelligent manner.

Good question...however I'm probably not the best person to ask. To be honest, if I was forced to identify my political leanings, I would say that I am a Paleolibertarian. I am ideologically opposed to the right wing on a variety of issues. I am for smaller government and less spending. I am for personal freedom, and I do not want the religious sect of the right wing telling me what I can or cannot watch, listen to, or do. (Or who I can sleep with.) I am also a strong believer in Animal Rights (I help run a wildlife sanctuary now.)

 

Seems to me you'd fit in well with the right-of-centre BC Liberals. Since getting in power, they've made it a goal to reduce spending, government, red tape, restrictions on personal freedoms, etc. So far, they have succeeded. Plus religion never comes up in politics. I am not sure about animal rights.

Oh, and I just remembered Ben Stein. I know he's not really a political pundit, so to speak, but he's probably the best representative of the Republican platform that I know of. I don't agree with him on much of anything, but he's a bright guy who presents a strong argument.