The Westboro Baptist Church — described as a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League — has made a name for itself by picketing the funerals of U.S. troops killed in Iraq. The troops are dying as punishment for America's tolerance of homosexuality, the group says.

The Kansas group says the Amish schoolgirls were “killed by a madman in punishment for Gov. Ed Rendell's blasphemous sins against Westboro Baptist Church.

"Gov. Ed Rendell — speaking and acting in his official capacity to bind the State of Pennsylvania — slandered and mocked and ridiculed and condemned Westboro Baptist Church on national Fox TV," the group says on its Web site.

“Rendell also revealed a conspiracy to employ the State's police powers to destroy WBC in order to silence WBC's Gospel message. Co-conspirators identified by Rendell included state officials, citizens, lawyers, legislators and media,” the Web site says.

Westboro Baptist Church said it is "continuing to pray for even worse punishment upon Pennsylvania.”

A number of states have passed laws to keep groups like the Westboro Baptist Church away from grieving families at funerals. But last month, a federal judge ruled that a Kentucky law barring protests within 300 feet of military funerals and memorial services was too broad and may not be enforced.

In a related development, a group with links to the Church of the Nazarene in Grove City, Ohio, says it is considering coming to Lancaster County to keep the Westboro Baptist Church protesters away from the funeral locations.

A spokesman with “Leave A Mark Ministries,” a Christian motorcycle club, said his group is discussing plans to make the trip to Lancaster County.