From:
mina@pld.com
To: ;
Subject: Fw: Memorial Service in Ulysses, Kansas 3-31-08
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2008 15:01:56 -0600
Just a note: I did not attend the service and did not take the pictures below, I am just passing on what was sent to me by a friend.
Since I am sending this to friends all over the world I will include an explanation for the pictures.
We had four sophomore girls killed in a car accident March 27 in the city limits of Ulysses. Their car which included a fifth girl pulled out in front of a semi truck and trailer. The fifth girl, the driver, is home now and still recovering from serious injuries. It has rocked this community to the core. They were on their lunch time from school. These girls were good girls, a couple into sports, two were cousins and all were inseparable. Everyone knows parents, grandparents, sisters, brothers, many members of the families and of course the girls. I think you could've heard a pin drop in Ulysses Thursday afternoon and evening.
Last night was a memorial service for all the girls with separate funerals today and Wednesday. We first came to know of some activity promised for last evening when this email was circulated after someone decided to check Fred Phelps website. (The website link is not included due to the terrible language used, but may be found if googled.)
Now, to say this sparked some anger is an understatement. The Patriot Guard was contacted. Under their by-laws they cannot attend as a group because the girls were not military. (One of the girls has a father that works for a company currently in Egypt and a brother in Iraq. Both got to come home for the funeral.) However, the Kansas director lives in Dodge City, an hour away, and he felt it was the right thing to do so he came over with a few other people to help us through the events to come.
The email circulated Ulysses yesterday morning and by 5:00 pm there were 115 bikes from all over Southwest Kansas meeting in a parking lot to get organized and briefed on dos and don'ts. We went as a group to the civic center, parked on the north side of the street and prepared for the demonstrators. They came at 6:15 and left at 7:00 the time limit of their protest permit. In that 45 minutes very little of what they had to say was ever heard. As soon as they would sing, talk or yell we would start our bikes and rev up till they were drowned out. At 7:00 they were escorted out of town by the police and we all quietly disbanded so the memorial service could begin.
You will notice in the pictures that our backs are turned to the demonstrators. This is the way the Patriot Guard handles Fred Phelps group. We were instructed that no matter what they said or did we were not to say or do anything and if we didn't think we could handle it to call for help. These people will say and do anything you can imagine to get a response out of you. They will call those young ladies every name in the book, call you every name in the book and all your family members. We were somewhat fortunate that we couldn't hear anything that was said. My bike was one of the ones directly in front of the demonstrators so I just stood by my bike and made sure my bike was heard. They video everything we do so they can sue if one of us gets out of hand in anyway.
We owe a tremendous gratitude to Ralph Rojas, Kansas director of the Patriot Guard and several local members for their efforts.
Please keep these families in your prayers.