Posted on 09/15/2005 10:46:04 AM PDT by conserv13
"What's up with your shirt?"
Those are the words a former senior at Fleming Island High School remembers hearing as he walked from his fifth-period algebra class toward the gym. The 18-year-old, who is not being identified due to his family's concerns of safety, had just taken off his Dixie Outfitter T-shirt, exposing a highly offensive shirt.
"What about it?" replied the 18-year-old, skinny and white.
"Well, you know it's racial," said a black student, now in a group confronting the 18-year-old.
"Yeah. So?"
The undershirt the white student wore had a confederate flag on the front with the words "Keep it flying." On the back, a cartoon depicted a group of hooded Klansmen standing outside a church, waving to two others who had just pulled away in a car reading "Just married."
Two black men in nooses were being dragged behind.
Upset by the shirt, a 17-year-old black student hit the white student in the head. A crowd of about 100 students gathered to watch the Aug. 29 fight before authorities intervened.
(Excerpt) Read more at jacksonville.com ...
When he in the service, he'll be under UCMJ. This is the tool to take care of tools like this kid.
The military teaches a "team concept" from the first day. This kid will undoubtedly learn that EVERY American is part of his team and will learn to "defend" instead of "Offend". He will only see "green" when he is done and this will be a foolish part of his growing up.
In this day and age of getting away with offending for the sake of offending, why would he expect to have been assaulted for this?
It's hard to see in the dark...
OK. Both kids were wrong - the kid wearing the shirt should not have; the kid doing the pummelling should not have.
However, had my son been the one doing the pummelling, I would have told him to take the punishment, and to be a man about it.
We are, as the great Fred Durst once said, in aggreeance on this one.
Nope. Again to point at my son, I would demand that he show restraint. There are more effective, yet non-violent ways of dealing with mouth-breathers like that.
I can't hold you being an ex-marine against you. ;-)
I thought, though, once a Marine, always a Marine. What happened to "...the halls of Montezuma...."
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there is also UCMJ to take care of the real trouble-makers. I believe it's article 134 (the catch-all)!!
In 1994 Rapper Ice Cube made a song that denigrated white women, calling them "cave b!tches" and such. Imagine the outrage if a country-western or rock singer made a song that denigrated black women. Oh I forgot - black women are already being denigrated by - you guessed it - rappers.
Thank you. I consider it an honor to be able to wear the uniform as I have for 21 years. I truly believe in this great country! This is one of the great things about America- the sharing of ideas.
You learn that in skool? Take a look at any Klan rally from the early 19th century to the mid-sixties and you will see that the United States Flag was the Klan's flag of choice. It is still used by the Klan today along with the CBF and other flags.
...The response needs to be proportional to the provocation. In Che's case, I think laughing at the guy would be sufficient. Maybe a wedgie...
I'd never get convicted for a wedgie.
Even here in Rhode Island.
Wise suggestion.
I can't see how this would prevent service. Perhaps affiliation with a racist organization would prevent enlisting in certain branches (anything requiring a security clearance or Personnel Reliability Program). He is still pretty young and will most likely learn from this. Plenty of people have changed their minds as they age.
That's ok....when we think of you northerners we think of left-wing, blue state homosexuals that want to ban all guns, enshrine "gay" marriage and burn the American flag while prancing around at some pathetic limp-wristed anti-war rally.
you caught me! I only looked that up for argument's sake. I do get offended, however, by the rap on the radio talking about women (I know that it is quite different) and hope my 12 year old son NEVER hears that crap. As a musician (I play guitar, bass, drums, and keyboards, as well as compose my own music) I hate rap. Not that anyone would care, but I consider it akin to putting mayonaise on a turd sandwich. I do occasionally listen to whatever comes on the radio - at least for a few seconds, so I know that the content hasn't changed that much in the last 12 years. Also, I was one of the first kids with Run DMC when they FIRST came out and back then it was really original. Now, it's kind of like cheerios.
I think you meant "idiocy" instead of "idiosyncracy".....
You're right. But I've always thought the distinction between "ex-Marine" (bad) and "former Marine" (good) was stupid. A semantic game that made no sense to anyone remotely familiar with the English language. "Ex" and "former" mean the same damn thing, no matter what distinction some wrapped too tight Jarhead made at some point in the past. And because there's a bit of contrarian in every good Marine, and because "Former Jarhead" didn't looks as good as "XJarhead", I went with the latter.
there is also UCMJ to take care of the real trouble-makers. I believe it's article 134 (the catch-all)!!
Awe, you don't want to send every little thing up for a Captain's Mast or court martial. And then you've got all the legal technicalities. Hell, for all I knew then, the Marine may have been in the right legally. But what was important to me at that time was unit cohesian, and I knew my CO and even the Bn. Co. would have backed me up on that. As it was, the threatened thumping solved the problem immediately, and with no paperwork.
I was in artillery at the time, though I went to law school after getting out. And I'd still do the same thing even knowing what I know now. Some things you just need to handle -- or better yet, let your NCO's handle -- without the niceties.
On a related point, I once had another Marine with a wife and newborn. Instead of taking care of them, the moron was living with two other women in a trailer off base, and not sending his wife and baby (who lived on base) any money. She called us crying about that. And he also was in debt to a bunch of Marines in other units who were about to beat the money out of him. He was an idiot, and getting himself in deeper trouble every day.
Anyway, two of my NCO's brought this to my attention. Their idea was to follow him every payday to the bank, take his money from him, and deliver it personally to his wife and daughter. They also forced him to sell stuff he'd bought -- like stereo's, etc., -- and would use that money to pay off his debts. They told him to comply or they'd beat the crap out of him.
Now dammit, those are some fine NCO's! Anyway, they did that for a couple of months, got the goons off his back, and made sure the guy's family had money for food, formula, diapers, etc.
Obviously, it was completely illegal. But trying to unscrew that situation legally would have taken a long time, and it was time the family and the moron didn't have. So my guys handled it for a few months until the guy was sent to his next base in the boonies and away from the trailer trash. We also sent the wife to base counseling so she could figure out her options if he did that crap again.
I forgot to mention that "infantry" comes from "infant", so you are correct in the assumption that he expected to be "babysat". All Marines are infantry.
(reminds me of a joke: why are marines on navy boats?
Answer: Sheep are too obvious!
free dixie,sw
Please, don't presume that I am a bigot. I am far from that. I knew that would come up in this discussion, because everyone is afraid to be open and honest. I was merely pointing out some of the common perceptions.
Why are you so quick to deny the violence angle? I don't think "I" contended that blacks are violent. Are you saying no blacks are? Are they less violent than whites or other races? Why did Jesse Jackson say he was relieved one night to realize the person behind him was white? By accusing me of being racist, are you trying to get me to ignore black violence?
I wonder what your real motive is.
i guess you pinged me for a comment, so i'll give you 5.
1. the kid in the shirt has the RIGHT to his freedom of speech. (the 1st Amendment is to protect UNPOPULAR SPEECH. popular speech needs NO protection.)
2. EXERCISING freedom of speech has CONSEQUENCES! (a bloody nose being ONE of those consequences! i hope the "idiot child" learned something. i DOUBT he did.)
3. the kid who hit him committed a criminal act & should be locked up for BATTERY.
4. BOTH should be EXPELLED from school for the year. (and/or BOTH, if i were running the school, would have their rear tanned REALLY WELL by a coach. coaches CAN GET AWAY with giving "licks"! FACT! i KNOW about that, as i've had DIFFICULTY "sitting down" in my wilder/younger days/daze!!!!! OUCH!!!!)
5. AND i'm REALLY HACKED that the "idiot child" DISRESPECTED our sacred battleflag for which so many HERO-MARTYRS died, by associating it with the KLAN-MORONS!
just my thoughts.
free dixie HUGS, sw
I was just kidding about the words you used. It seemed almost intentional.
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