I thought it was time to do an update on all that has happened since my epic ride out to Topeka, Kansas on June 5 of this year to visit the Westboro Baptist Church.  The aftermath has truly been unbelievable and all by accident.  I mean, who would have thought in a million years that four guys from Colorado would start a movement that is almost 2,000 members strong right now and still growing and spawned a group called Journey 4 Justice?

 

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On June 12 I started a Facebook group called Journey for Justice that grew to over 1,400 members in just a matter of two weeks.  We then started a Facebook fan page called J0urney For Justice that is now at about 900 members and growing everyday.  We have, as of now, 33 state teams from all over the country, representing 18 states and a team coming from Australia in August.

Here is our "Mission Statement"

  1. To honor our fallen military men and women by peacefully protesting the Westboro Baptist Church compound in Topeka, KS.
  2. To honor any and all other groups targeted by WBC.
  3. To exercise our right of free speech, not with hateful rhetoric or signs, but by proudly carrying the American flag in all its glory.
  4. To counter the spewing of hate from WBC by rising above their actions.
  5. To have a presence at the WBC compound and other locations in Topeka where WBC is congregated every weekend.

We have also started a 501{C} and will be hoping to obtain non-profit and tax exempt status.  Our attorney is William Suhre from Greeley, Colorado, of the Suhre Law Firm, LLC, and William is a true war hero who is doing all the work for us pro-bono.  Who is William Suhre?  Let me take a minute to introduce him.

  • Colonel, United States Army (Ret.)
  • Silver Star
  • Bronze Star (w/v)
  • Purple Heart {x2}
  • Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry
  • Combat Infantryman's Badge
  • Colorado Bar Association (Taxation, and Trusts and Estates Sections)
  • Weld County Bar AssociationAmerican Bar Association (Taxation, and Trusts and Estates Sections)
  • American Institute of Certified Public Accountants
  • Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants
  • American Association of Attorney-CPA's
  • Veterans of Foreign Wars
  • U.S. District Court, District of Colorado, 1999
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 10th Circuit, 1998
  • U.S. Tax Court, 1999
  • U.S. Supreme Court, 2003

We have also just launched our state of the art community website that is second to none and built for us pro-bono by a New York company called S-Go Consulting and Web Development.  In fact, I spent all weekend trying to think of any group out there who has a website like ours and I couldn't think of a one besides Facebook.  Our website isn't just a website, it's a totally interactive site where you have your own profile and can post on your wall and the groups walls just like Facebook.  It's an incredible website and we hope to see you join in support of our cause.

The official Journey 4 Justice website will have a full store with J4J merchandise, state shirts and flags, window decals and more fun stuff all to help fund our group.   You can also visit our website to learn how to build your own team or to join an existing team or just support a team in your state.  And if you don't see a team from your state then our hopes is that you will step up and represent your state by forming a team.

We also have a National Rally planned for the weekend of  Sept. 9 to Sept. 11 in Topeka.  This is one road trip you won't want to miss.  We will have a poker run that takes us to the WBC on the first card stop, flag patrols at their compound all weekend and throughout the City of Topeka, live music at the rally site Friday and Saturday and rally site tent camping for members only.

We have had a team from out of state there every weekend now for six weeks and calendar dates through mid September.

Here are the teams that have gone so far:

  • Team Missouri - 1: June 18-19
  • Team Iowa - 2: June 25-26
  • Team Topeka/Missouri - 5: July 3-4
  • Team Colorado - Charter Chapter: July 5-8
  • Team Mississippi - 1: July 9-10
  • Team Missouri - 5: July 16-17
  • Team Oklahoma - 1 / Missouri - 5: July 16-17

In closing, we are already changing the way the WBC does things in Topeka.  The corners they have been seen on for years are no longer there.  They are now occupied by our Journey 4 Justice teams and Topeka is noticing.  Just recently, the WBC made an attempt to keep us away by changing their times of service to run from Sunday through Saturday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.  {In case you didn't notice...that is EVERYDAY} However, these geniuses don't realize they just made it worse for themselves as we will be there twice as much now and will now include Saturdays as we have permission from multiple neighbors to use their private lawns and driveways so we will keep all those cars honking in support of us even more now.  And we will be walking their sidewalk on Saturdays as well now.

They just aren't that bright despite what they might think and we'll be proving that in the near future!  Stay tuned for details...

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