Another to the List of People Whose Hand I Want to Shake

You know, you wouldn’t normally catch me reaching out to shake the hand of a leather-clad, chrome-laden biker. A nod of respect and a quick head-on-my-way, certainly, but Don Barr is different.

Courtesy of The People’s Republic of Seabrook, who seems intent to log the foibles of Fred Phelps of Westboro, Kansas so that I don’t have to, comes news that people are responding to Phelp’s crusade of hate by drowning him out with love… and motorcycle exhaust.

When ten of Phelp’s anti-gay supporters showed up to picket and shout glee at the funeral of another fallen American soldier, biker veterens were on hand. Jack Cluth quotes from a Kansas City paper:

Whenever the few protesters from Topeka’s Westboro Baptist Church shouted or sang Wednesday in South Haven, the earth trembled.

Any time they spoke up, the wrists of biker veterans twisted on dozens of throttles to strike the thundering chords of Honda and Harley-Davidson.

More than 200 bikers had made themselves into a chrome-and-black leather barrier. The 10 anti-gay picketers stood on one side, drowned out by the noise. Mourners arriving for the funeral of Army Sgt. Evan Parker passed on the other side.

“We’re supporting the family of a fallen soldier,” yelled Don Barr of American Legion Post 138 of Caney. “And we’re telling these jokers—” he jutted a thumb in the direction of Phelps’ picketers “—to get lost.”

Thanks Mr. Barr. And thanks Jack for putting me on to this bit of good news. And, Jack, let’s make one thing clear: Christian Phelps’ bozos may claim to be, but Christian they ain’t.

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