Word: patrioteers
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They call themselves the Patriot Guard Riders, and in a culture in which a 24-hour news cycle and habitual political spin can make the most earnest public gesture seem tired or canned, they appear to be the real thing: a spontaneous mass movement. They formed as a response to the Rev. Fred Phelps, an attention-crazed fanatic based in Topeka, Kans., who has logged 15 years as a kind of paleo-fundamentalist, gay-baiting performance artist. Last spring Phelps grabbed the already troubling line, taken by preachers such as Pat Robertson, that disasters like 9/11 were God's punishment...
...fellow bikers to form a human shield between Phelps' disciples and the bereaved, blocking the protesters' signs with flags and occasionally revving their engines to drown out the insults. Soon the riders outgrew the protesters. Phelps' church has only about 75 members, mostly his relatives. But the newly named Patriot Guard expanded exponentially and today claims 28,000 bikers and supporters. They attend every single military funeral for which the family gives permission. "We joined because of Fred Phelps, but now the whole focus is off Fred Phelps," says California state coordinator Cheryl Egan. "It's more about the troop...
...Quist, the leader of the group at Captain Ian Weikel's funeral in Colorado Springs, Colo., last week, "and we want to say thank you to this next generation." Others are hobbyists a generation younger and simply happy to pay respects. The group is strictly culture-war neutral. Notes Patriot Guard California state ride captain David (Scooter) Bolton: "Nobody cares if [a rider is] gay or not. It's not a meet-and-greet-and-date organization. It's to honor fallen heroes...
David Weikel is certainly thankful that the Patriot Guard spoke up. He was warned that Phelps' supporters might show up at his son Ian's funeral in Colorado Springs. "What a hateful group of people," says Weikel, a former pastor. In the end, Phelps' people were absent, but the bikers showed up. "I love them deeply," Weikel says, adding a sentiment not often applied to the hog-and-leathers set: "I appreciate their ministry in my life...
...scene in Worcester was anything but holy, as the Crimson desecrated Holy Cross (9-31, 4-12 Patriot League) yesterday afternoon. Mirroring last year’s domination, Harvard swept the non-conference double-header with a 5-1 win in Game 1 and a 6-1 final in Game 2. The pair of victories puts the Crimson at just below .500 on the season (20-21, 6-6 Ivy League). HARVARD 6, HOLY CROSS 1 Pitching was the story in both games, as the Crimson hurlers gave up a total of one earned run in the series. Sophomore Amanda...