Westboro Plans Protest at Edward's Funeral

At least two groups say they'll mount a counter-protest to the Westboro Baptist Church's planned picketing of Elizabeth Edwards' funeral Saturday in an attempt to shield mourners from the demonstrators.

The Kansas-based church, known for its anti-gay stance, has condemned Edwards, the estranged wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, who died Tuesday at the age of 61 after a long battle with cancer, and says it will show up at her funeral in Raleigh, N.C.

In an invective-filled press release, the church group said Edwards brought about her own death -- and the death of her 16-year-old son, Wade, who died in a car accident in 1996 -- by failing to accept God in her life and by using infertility treatments to conceive her two younger children. The group, which is not affiliated with any Baptist church, said Edwards has joined her son as a "resident of hell."

Edwards will be laid to rest next to her son.

In Raleigh, some groups are planning counter-protests. Ben Requena, a North Carolina graphic designer, organized an event on Facebook asking volunteers to come to the Edenton Street United Methodist Church, where the service will be held Saturday, to create a "human buffer" between the church group and the Edwards family.

Requena said his decision to organize the counter-protest was more about decency than politics. "It just seems like the right thing to do, to go out there and show support for human decency," he told The Charlotte Observer. "I didn't know Elizabeth Edwards or have any special connection to her, but I've heard about Westboro's antics."

Another group, known as Line of Love, has vowed to do the same thing and surround the Edwards family to drown out the Kansas church group's message. "Regardless of your politics, it's just downright rude to bring a protest of this sort to disrupt the mourning process," the group wrote on its Facebook page. "We'll begin a silent lineup around the block of the church beginning at noon and will stay there to block the protesters from sight until the service is over."

Inside the church, mourners will hear eulogies from Cate Edwards, the Edwards' 28-year-old daughter, and Hargrave McElroy and Glenn Bergenfield, friends of the family, according to multiple news reports. John Edwards is not expected to speak, nor is his new mistress expected to attend.

AOL's PopEater noted that President Barack Obama has no scheduled events on his Saturday calendar, leading to speculation that he and the first lady might attend the funeral. See Chick's SOMEBODY GOOFED.