I joined this motorcycle group, not because I'm some conservative, militaristic type (quite the opposite -- I'm a flaming liberal atheist), but because I was appauled by what this Phelps group was doing at any funeral - military or otherwise. The Phelps group got their first national media attention by protesting at Mathew Shepherd's funeral. They apparently believe that God hates America because we "embrace" homosexuality.
We do not in anyway engage members of this wacko group because they make all their money off of lawsuits. Most of their members are lawyers and would love the chance to sue anyone who raises a hand towards them. Much as most of us would love to "reason" with them, we don't because it would just be playing into their hands. Laws have been passed in several states making it illegal to protest at funerals and now the ACLU has gotten into the act by declaring those laws unconstitutional and going to court to have them overturned.
No family member deserves to have some freak group screaming idiocies at them during the funeral of a loved one.