From Roy Exum of the ChattanooganIt seems the misguided members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., whose members have a flair for protesting military funerals, spewing hatred and venom, will think twice about venturing into the state of Mississippi again with their circus.
Saturday, April 16, 2011, Staff Sgt. Jason Rogers, who was killed in Afghanistan on April 7, was buried in his hometown of Brandon, which is a small town in Rankin County, located in the center of the state. And, as is their habit, a crowd of Westboro followers loudly announced they would drive down to take their dubious part. Many of those in Mississippi, however, feel Westboro’s message has no place at a funeral for a Marine who died trying to save two other soldiers.
According to various reports, the trouble started a day or two before the funeral when one Westboro zealot stopped at a Brandon gas station, started “running his mouth” and – whammo - promptly got a sound Southern thumpin’. I mean, the earlier protester got splashed with a liberal dose of ratta-tat-tat and was whipped pretty badly.
Yet when the police arrived, nobody had seen a thing and all discounted such an incident had ever occurred. 
A popular rumor is that when the news got out where the Westboro crowd was staying the strangest thing occurred. A vacant Rankin County car or pickup truck was mysteriously parked directly behind every car with a Kansas tag in the parking lot. I mean, they hemmed the visitors’ cars in, bumper-to-bumper.
Since all the wrecker companies around were “too busy” to lend a hand until after the funeral, the protesters were stranded. Further, according to the tales now being told, the few Westboro members that did get to the funeral were promptly hustled off to be asked what they knew about a crime they might have been involved in.
Yes, after thorough questioning, they were released but it was not – mind you – until the funeral had ended.
Let's hear it for the people of Brandon Mississippi!!
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