Posted on 02/23/2003 9:15:29 AM PST by ysoh
Edited on 02/23/2003 9:27:16 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
Like the rest of her team, Toni Smith stands before the national anthem is played.
Then she does something different. She turns away from the U.S. flag in protest.
Smith has been doing it all season, whether at Manhattanville College home games or on the road. She said she is protesting because "the government's priorities are not on bettering the quality of life for all of its people, but rather on expanding its own power."
Recently, she has received a bitter, and vocal, reaction from fans at road games, including hundreds of flag-waving students Thursday at Mount St. Mary.
More than 500 people filled the tiny gym and jeered Smith at every opportunity. Smith was booed even when she was on the bench. As time ran out, the crowd sang "God Bless America."
It wasn't the only time Smith, a senior at the Division III school in Purchase, N.Y., has faced objections.
When Manhattanville played at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on Feb. 11, more than 300 flag-waving midshipmen greeted Smith with chants of "U-S-A" and "Leave our country." The crowd was believed to be a record turnout for the Mariners, who are winless this season.
When Smith picked up two fouls in the first three minutes and was benched, the crowd chanted, "We want Toni," according to the New York Journal News.
After the Mount St. Mary game, Smith felt compelled to define her beliefs.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Disgusting.
America's Fifth Column ... watch Steve Emerson/PBS documentary JIHAD! In America
New Link: Download 8 Mb zip file here (60 minute video)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.