Imagine you happen across a heated public argument between the members of a church group and some bikers. The bikers are big, burly men with tattoos and piercings, clad in black leather and straddling thundering-chromed motorcycles. The church people are middle-class families carrying their Bibles and singing hymns. Quick: whose side are you on? If you’re like most readers of the Continental Conservative Dispatch, you’re on the side of the bikers.

On March 20, 2006, Albert Snyder of York, Pennsylvania wasn't on anyone's side. He wasn't thinking about religious freedom, freedom of speech, or tort law. Instead, Mr. Snyder wanted to bury his son, Marine Lance Corporal Matthew A. Snyder, who was killed in action while serving in Iraq. The Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), however, had other plans. Its members wanted to use the Snyder family's suffering to push their radical agenda: the pending damnation of America for our tolerance of homosexuality. The WBC proudly proclaims that "God Hates Fags" and states that its mission is "preaching the Gospel truth about the soul-damning, nation-destroying notion that 'It is OK to be gay'."

Based in Topeka, Kansas and founded by Fred Phelps in 1955, the WBC has about 70 followers, almost all from two families, who tend to inter-marry because marriage outside the church is forbidden. They are not affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA or any other mainstream Christian organization. But for its bizarre and offensive tactics, the WBC would be a lunatic fringe organization plunged in the obscurity that it so richly deserves.

But the WBC has discovered a fascinating pathology of our media culture: it’s possible to get media attention for an odious message by delivering it in an especially odious way. Protesting at the funerals of American Soldiers killed in the War on Terror, WBC members display signs with messages like "Priests Rape Boys," "Thank God For Dead Soldiers" and "Thank God for 9/11." The WBC staged similar protests at the funerals of Fred Rogers ("Mr. Rogers") and Coretta Scott King.

Late on the evening of September 11, 2001, President Bush told the nation, “Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature. And we responded with the best of America.” On a much smaller scale, the same thing has happened with the WBC. Appalled that members of the WBC were disrupting funerals of U.S. servicemen, several members of the American Legion Motorcycle club in Kansas formed the Patriot Guard Riders (PGR). With chapters in all fifty states and over a hundred thousand members (full disclosure: I’m a member), the PGR has a simple mission: honor the heroes and their families and, if necessary, provide a human wall between the WBC protestors and the mourners. A "captain" of the PGR will contact the family and request permission to pay homage to the soldier and then word is spread to all members in the area. With very little notice, in good weather and bad, the PGR assembles, mostly on motorcycles, and lines the streets around the funeral with American flags to honor those who gave all.

PGR members represent the real America. They are blue-collar and white-collar, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, white and black. Many are Vietnam veterans, who personally felt the hatred and contempt of protesters upon their return from the battlefield. Others are veterans of the current wars, who know first-hand the sacrifices their comrades have made. Regardless of their background all share a common goal: the desire to show our gratitude and provide a modicum of comfort to the families who have suffered a terrible loss.

After almost two years of WBC members harassing and desecrating the funerals of fallen Americans, Mr. Snyder, the man from York, who was burying his son, decided to fight back. He sued Fred Phelps and the WBC in federal district court in Maryland alleging defamation, invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Phelps and the WBC defended on First Amendment grounds, claiming that they had free speech and free exercise rights to do as they had done. The court rejected this defense, and a jury found for Mr. Snyder, awarding him over $2 million in compensatory damages and $8 million in punitive damages. Phelps says he will appeal the verdict, and some legal experts think he has a good chance of prevailing.

From a legal point of view, the case is a close one. On the one hand, there is no doubt that, just like the KKK or the Weathermen or the Neo-Nazis, the WBC is entitled under the First Amendment to express its odious message. On the other hand, the First Amendment gives no one a right to an audience, and so everyone else should be free to walk away from the WBC and not be subjected to its message. Nevertheless, the WBC cannot in effect create a captive audience for its message by hijacking a private funeral ceremony and subjecting the mourning family and friends to their insane views.

Regardless of the ultimate outcome of this case, the jury sent a clear message that the American people stand with Mr. Snyder and the PGR, not the WBC. While it’s easy to be sympathetic to Mr. Snyder’s legal arguments, perhaps the PGR’s counter-protest to the WBC is even better than a remedy at law. The existence of extremist groups is nothing new in our society. Lunatics come and lunatics go, but America is a more open and civil society than ever before. Lunatic hate-groups like the WBC always fail because by and large Americans are animated by compassion, by love for their fellow men, and by profound belief in personal liberty. It is this America that Richard Nixon was talking about when he coined the phrase the "Silent Majority."

In the face of the Fred Phelps of our society the Silent Majority still stands. The rejection of the WBC's venom is evident in both the jury verdict for the Snyder family and the massive support for groups such as the Patriot Guard. The PGR – lining the streets with American Flags in honor of the fallen – is standing for the rest of the nation. The silent majority is still alive and strong in this nation, respecting those who serve, honoring those who have fallen and rejecting those who preach hate.