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Texas A&M Students & Alum Create Massive Human Wall to Block Westboro Protesters at Military Funeral

Jul. 6, 2012 11:04am Billy Hallowell

Westboro Protesters Reportedly Stopped by Human Wall at Military Funeral

Lt. Col. Roy Tisdale (Image Credit: Fox10TV.com)

Is the Westboro Baptist Church losing its edge? The controversial group, which calls itself a house of worship but is regarded by most as a small, family-led cult, originally planned to protest the funeral of Lt. Col. Roy Tisdale. But, the situation ended with a surprise — some might even say inspirational — conclusion.

Last week, Tisdale, a former Texas A&M University student, was killed by a fellow soldier at Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Fox10TV.com has more about the incident that inevitably took his life:

Lt. Col. Roy Tisdale, a former Texas A&M University student, was buried in the Aggie Field of Honor, an area of a College Station cemetery for Aggies and their supporters.

Tisdale was fatally wounded on June 28 during a safety briefing near the unit’s headquarters in the historic district of Fort Bragg at about 3:30 p.m., according to Fort Bragg officials.

Accused of the shooting was Spc. Ricky G. Elder of Kansas, who shot Tisdale and another soldier, who survived. Elder then shot himself and later died.

A portion of the press release that was put out by Westboro Baptist Church

Despite the group’s press release exploiting Tisdale’s death and pledging to crash the memorial in College Station, Texas, the situation concluded with a very different outcome than was originally expected.

Another portion of the press release put out by the radical protesters

After news initially spread that the group, headed by ringleader Fred Phelps, was planning to protest and attend, former and current Texas A&M students took action. BuzzFeed has more about the counter-protest that they carried out against the Phelps family:

A fellow “Aggie”, Ryan Slezia, came up with a plan to create a human wall to block any protesters from getting near the funeral, and invited fellow Texas A&M students and alum to join. One participant tweeted that over 650 people showed up in maroon shirts to create a “maroon wall”.

Now, here’s the kicker and the “different” outcome: To the surprise of Tisdale’s family members, friends and others who had organized a massive counter-protest, the radicals failed to show up. That’s right — Westboro adherents were reportedly nowhere to be found.

Did the counter-protesters scare them away? It’s entirely possible.

A picture from the counter-protest (Image Credit: BuzzFeed)

Radio host Joe Pags spoke with Tisdale’s life-long friend Shawn Dixon about the fallen soldier and the plan that was launched to stop Westboro from ruining his funeral (the event is not listed on Westboro’s picket schedule page).

Listen to the interview, below:

There’s nothing new about Westboro going after soldiers and military families. In fact, the radical group’s bizarre protests against these fallen men and women resulted in a 2011 Supreme Court ruling in their favor (the justices ruled 8-1 that their actions are protected by the First Amendment).

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

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Comments (167)

oilag
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 10:14pm
The Colonel will also be remembered at Aggie Muster on April 21st when the roll is called for Aggies that have passed on in the last year. When his name is called a fellow Aggie will respond Here!

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cardMaker
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 10:02pm
Second great Aggie story this week here on the Blaze.

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ENIGMA28724
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 9:36pm
I’ll be that it could have turned real ugly real quick if the WBC people had been stupid enough to try to break through the line of Aggies. I’m not from Texas and never went to A&M, but I would have been proud to stand with them to protect Lt. Col. Tisdale’s family and friends from these left wing wack jobs. Funerals are not the place for protests. Good job, Aggies!

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MASSACHUSETTS MORMON
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 9:24pm
We surround them. It’s probably one of the most important things I became aware of in the past three years.

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Think It Thru
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 7:24pm
They tried it in McAlester, OK last year. Their tires were cut while they protested. They couldn’t get any repair shop or tire service in town to help them.

I don’t condone property destruction, but this case made me smirk…

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GhostDog51
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 6:12pm
That’s an example of what Aggies do. We’re not your run-of-the-mill college students/alumni. We love our military and support our former students. Proud to be an Aggie, Class of 1989.

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bromhead
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 6:03pm
Now if only most of the good A and M types would join the military after they graduate rather then go on to have it all,,,or most doctors and hospitals would accept tricare,,military medical insurance,,wouldnt it be patriotic amd help our heroes

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thereaper
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 5:42pm
When they die,they’ll meat their master in hell!! We will all here their cry for forgiveness,but there will be none,only pain and suffering for their sins,till the end of forever!!

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Bob
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 5:20pm
Finally an inspiring story, now if only the rest of America would wake from its self-induced slumber and take a stand against all the rest of America’s haters.

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Shadowangel
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 5:16pm
Great job! It is beautiful to see that human wall, I salute you.

Someone should start a group of volunteers in Texas to do this for every military funeral and stand up to the Westboro Baptist Church nutjobs.

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aggiebrewer
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 5:14pm
Gotta love us Aggies…
Class of ’10 GIG EM!

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dawn2308
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 5:11pm
Frankly i am sad and disgusted that some of our soilders and vets have given their life, time and body to defend idiots that would make a mockery of them and what it stands to be a american. Yes this is the land of the free and we can all say what we want and believe what we want but to invade a funeral and disrespect someone that has kept you safe and being free isnt american it isnt even human in my book. God Bless Lt. Col. Roy Tisdale and his family and all of our military and vets!!! Thank you to all the Aggies that supported his family in this hard time and I am proud to be a texan and a supporter of our troops.

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Worriedone
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 4:49pm
:-0 doh

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meisterman41
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 4:25pm
WBC a group of misguided Idiots!

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Baja
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 4:14pm
I never met a corps turd I didn’t like. God bless the Aggies.
You wouldn’t see that kind of support from any of the ivy leauge alums.

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wordweaver
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 3:33pm
Aggies know how to deal with this sort of thing. “We don’t hold with it.”

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- aggiebrewer
  Posted on July 6, 2012 at 5:17pm
  Whoop!
  
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Joyzee
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 3:17pm
Religious agenda gone wild’ Let them fight the troops, See who wins..!!..another poor example of Spiritual leadership…I smell a Rat

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COME AND TAKE IT 2121
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 2:59pm
I’m shocked these POS are still around.
I would have thought this nonsense would have been permanently ended a while ago. We lost a local boy in Afganastan. There were rumors of the west borough baptists showing up. We ended up with 3 motor cycle gang chaptors and allot of local towns people ready to do what was required to let the family grieve in peace. The cowards never showed. Perhaps it was only a rumor they would show. Too bad we had quite a welcoming waiting for them. Who protests a funeral? There time will come.

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rfycom
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 2:45pm
This is why you have to use common sense in your believes PEOPLE. Go with what you feel in your heart. Your sense of good versus evil, right versus wrong, you were born with everything you need to by holy. You don’t need all the noise from bibles and goofy people who spin bibles in stupid ways.

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cdn1979
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 2:32pm
should have let them come. than when they got close i would have turned that human wall into a human cage and tore those nut bars a new one. Cults can do whatever they want on their own time at their own place. a funeral is not the place for their antics. i say let them come and deal with whatever the fallout may be. i’m pretty sure there would be plenty of people waiting for them.

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thegreatcarnac
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 2:29pm
Westboro is not a real church nor are they real Christians. They are fools and attention whores.

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kettererbg
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 2:28pm
The WBC loonies need to be dry gulched. What better place than Texas. Go Aggies.

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gbgreta
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 2:25pm
Wesboro’s exposed as squirming cowards.

Way to go Aggies!

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RaydocX
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 2:02pm
having grown up in Topeka, where the Westboro cult lairs in, it was always disheartening to see them standing around, forcing their kids to stand making such hateful statements even in baking heat and freezing cold… such hatred has ZERO place in Christianity (any mor than the jihadist view of Islam). Worse, for too long it was ‘the Topeka Westboro church’ when they went jousting at windmills elsewhere, as if we were supporters.

Instead, the city has been remarkably tolerant, which is lost among too many on the left (including in my hometown) who think of all Kansans as bigots or worse.

Sadly, it takes such couageous shows of personal strength if not outright force, to contain even the mindless selfish cruelty of the otherwise harmless cultists in today’s world… the SCOTUS upheld their rights over a state ban to protect mourners, and for years ‘mysterious’ threats and personal attacks locally would haunt any who tried to stand up to them…

I have always wondered just who it is that funds their activities, and why the IRS or other Feds haven’t come down on them… i suspect that having right wing kooks show their bottom so frequently is felt to be a positive by this administration, at least.

Kudos to the Aggies, though… they may have made the wrong decision about the Big 12, but they stand by their own, and that is to be commended.

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tj1961
Posted on July 6, 2012 at 1:59pm
Fred Phelps and the Westboro crew would exploit ANYTHING FOR THEIR 30 SILVER PIECES!!!!!

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