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I'm a white, middle-class woman - probably one of the least-likely candidates to be targeted by a hate group, right? Wrong. I'm also an American Soldier - and unfortunately there are people out there who hate the military so much that they actually hope for our deaths.

I had the misfortune of seeing the Westboro Baptist Church's highly vocal protesters outside the front gate of our Army Post. We knew they were coming - in fact, every Soldier on Schofield Barracks and neighboring posts received a briefing the Friday before. The briefing detailed what NOT to do if we had a run-in with Westboro members, who they were and what they stood for, and why we couldn't do a darned thing about their presence.

Led by an anti-homosexual, anti-military, anti-normal man named Fred Phelps, members of the Westboro Baptist Church travel the country in order to spread their gospel of hate. They set up shop near military installations, places that openly cater to homosexuals, any other location where they feel they can make an impact. They even have the gall to show up at military funerals and disrupt the services which are intended to honor a fallen hero.

Several members of Westboro Baptist Church are attorneys. That's bad news for people who get too riled up at their protests; they actually want you to scuff them up so that they can sue you - that's where they get the money for their plane tickets, their food, and their mortgage payments.

When Westboro came to Schofield, we were instructed to ignore them. "Use a different gate; if you do happen to drive by them, don't even look."

Naturally, that was too much to ask.

We wanted to see the spectacle and get pictures; after all, what were the chances of seeing that many idiots grouped together in one place? Usually you come into contact with the occasional idiot here and there - but this was an idiot bonanza, and we weren't going to miss it for the world.

They were scheduled to arrive at 1:00 p.m., so we got there at 12:30. There was a group of military members, their spouses, and their children gathered en masse on one corner of the road. Many were holding signs with smart little quips like, "My Daddy fights for your rights to be a jackass" and "Many Soldiers have died for your right to stand here."

The corner across the street was filled with local church members holding huge signs with scriptural quotes and positive, encouraging words. One man even held a sign that said, "Lord, forgive Westboro Baptist Church for they know not what they

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