Terry Everett, June 12, 2006

Last week, the nation tested a new law signed only days before by President Bush that is aimed at protecting the honor and dignity of America's fallen heroes as they are being laid to their final resting place. The very idea that such legal protection of families' rights would be necessary is a sad commentary on how some are abusing free speech protections to hurt others with vile messages of hate.

On June 6, the funeral service of Marine Lance Cpl. Kevin Adam Lucas, age 20 of Greensboro, N.C., was conducted without interruption. The young Marine lost his life on May 26 while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Iraq's Anbar province. He was buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery, our nation's most hallowed military resting place. The solemnity of the service was the first to be enforced by the newly-passed "Respect of America's Fallen Heroes Act" (HR 5037) that became law May 29th.

This legislation, which I was proud to cosponsor and vote for on May 9, is needed to keep hate groups from deliberately disrupting military funerals on Federal property. The most egregious of these groups is a Kansas-based "church" whose members often attend military funerals mocking and insulting fallen soldiers and their families. This so-called church uses offensive language and deliberately invasive tactics to attract attention to itself without any regard for grieving friends and families.

This "church," which has taken its funeral protests from state to state, including Alabama, has generated national outrage. To counter the "church" group an opposing organization known as the Patriot Guard Riders was formed by veterans and other concerned citizens to provide a buffer between military funerals and hate-inspired protestors.

Since the Kansas "church" has pledged to continue its protests of military funerals, Congress was left with no choice but to pass the Respect of America's Fallen Heroes Act. The new law, which was supported by America Veterans (AMVETS), Disabled American Veterans (DAV), The Fleet Reserve Association, Gold Star Wives of America, the Military Order of the Purple Heart, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and The Vietnam Veterans of America, will not violate protestors' free speech rights, but will instead keep them far enough way from military funerals so they cannot disrupt services.

The Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act prohibits demonstrations on Federal cemetery property and bars any demonstration within 500 feet of Federal cemeteries from the period an hour before to an hour after a military funeral or memorial service. These prohibitions are backed up by prior Supreme Court rulings. The law also expresses the sense of Congress that all 50 states should adopt similar legislation to protect all locations of military funerals.

Families should not have to listen to hateful, vile, and disrespectful speech when they are mourning the death and honoring the life of their loved ones. Protesting at a military funeral goes beyond the bounds of decency. It is a sad irony that the very people these hate protestors seek to attack - our fallen military heroes - gave their lives to protect our cherished freedoms, including those of the protestors.

Congressman Terry Everett, a Republican, represents Alabama's Second Congressional District, which includes the state capitol, Montgomery.