Washington, DC – Merrilee Carlson, President of Families United For Our Troops and Their Mission, the nation’s largest military family organization, released the following statement concerning the ACLU joining Westboro Baptist Church and founder Fred Phelps to sue Maplewood, Missouri’s funeral protest ban.

“My son died in Iraq fighting to protect the Constitutional rights and liberties that the ACLU is now trying to exploit. This lawsuit proves the ACLU will stop at nothing to drive an agenda that disrespects and degrades our fallen heroes and their families. Freedom of speech cannot come at the cost of inflicting irreversible and irreparable harm on these families who have suffered so much. Anyone who knows the pain of sending their child off to war only to witness the return of a flag-draped casket should be appalled at this lawsuit. Every American should recognize just how wrong and hurtful these protests are for grieving families.

The current law banning the military protests clearly falls into the Constitution’s time, place, and manner restrictions on free speech. These protests are not only disrespectful to the service and sacrifice of our military, they pour salt into an open wound for those left behind. Our courageous men and women deserve more then to have their families' privacy disregarded and the honor of our fallen Heroes degraded for the sake of the ACLU's agenda.”

Note - Merrilee Carlson is President of Families United For Our Troops and Their Mission. Her son, Sgt. Michael Carlson, was killed in Iraq in 2005.

About Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission
Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization. We are a grassroots coalition of Gold Star and Blue Star families including some with loved ones in harm's way, Veterans, and Americans who share a deep appreciation for our men and women in uniform and support them in their efforts to make America safer by allowing them to complete their mission.