Vigilante justice is a dish best served cold! Well, okay. That's not exactly the line that Ricardo Montalban's character, Khan, used in the movie Star Trek II, but it does well to describe the message that Ryan J. Newell was trying to send in Westboro, KS.
According to the Wichita Eagle, Newell decided that it was a good idea to follow a group of Westboro Batnuts with a van full of firearms. Apparently, that leads to charges of misdemeanor stalking, carrying illegally concealed firearms, and the false impersonation of a police officer. What is not so clear from the article is if this veteran just happened to be a victim of wrong place, wrong time, and the ever increasing influence upon daily lives of the police / nanny state. Last I checked, it isn't wrong to carry guns and ammunition in your vehicle, and without knowing the Kansas carry and transpiration laws, I can't even begin to speculate if Newell was in compliance.
Either way you slice this story, we'll come away with a few generalities. First, the Westboro Batnuts are still batty. Second, while vigilante justice is often a way towards feeling better about moral justice, it doesn't solve Constitutional justice. No matter how wrong these perverted retards are (and we still refuse to call them religious zealots because they speak in political generalities, not scripture), they are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Third, if Newell broke the law or his actions even so much appeared to be threatening towards the lives of these pieces of trash, he should be punished for at least harassment. While I may have some sympathy towards a veteran, the law is the law is the law, and we can't break it or threaten the lives of others simply because we do not agree with them.
Karma works in mysterious ways, and I hope Newell's case get's a fair shake. After all, that is the only thing that we should truly pray for.
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