Ill. Father Freaks Out Over Pledge, Gets Banned
A hyper-nationalist father in Geneva, Illinois misheard students saying the Pledge of Allegiance at his child’s school, flipped his lid, started ranting about Nazi propaganda and shedding blood and got banned from the grounds of the elementary school.
The guy heard a kindergarten class reciting the pledge of allegiance, after which they recite the school creed, which is:
In order to develop good citizens,
We believe that every person should:
Treat others with respect
Follow school and classroom rules
Try their best
The parent started a huge argument over it, then sent the following email to school administrators and some parents from the district:
Dear School District 304,
As a courtesy I’m letting you know I’ve engaged the American Center for Justice and Law (ACLJ) as well as multiple conservative and verteran groups. I’m also contacting IL state legislators.
I WILL NOT stand for my children standing in front of the flag, hand on heart, reciting a corrupted Pledge of Allegiance that leaves out “liberty” and has students stating they will obey all rules and commands of teachers. I witnessed this first hand today and am ashamed. You are teaching fascism plain and simple. My children will not grow up as blind followers who don’t think for themselves.
I can think of no reason for having a separate pledge for kindergarteners and first graders then indoctrination of the young. Not going to happen on my watch. I’ve shed blood for this Country and will do so again if necessary.
My mother spent 12 years in a prison camp. I’m NOT ALLOWING you to introduce a Nazi way of life into the USA.
Kind Regards,
Colin M. McGroarty MBA, MCSE
That nutball has now quite rightly been barred from school grounds and is being investigated.
busterggi:
January 16th, 2013 at 1:38 pm
There goes my effort to have the Bellamy salute reinstated.
Gretchen:
January 16th, 2013 at 1:40 pm
But if they had left the word “liberty” in, no blind following going on?
*scratches head*
Reginald Selkirk:
January 16th, 2013 at 1:41 pm
There must be awards on Teh Internetz for irony.
Crudely Wrott:
January 16th, 2013 at 1:41 pm
Kindergarten age kids are not well known for their ability to enunciate let alone to recite a string of, to them, cryptic words they likely don’t understand.
Dad’s problem is not what he thought he heard, it is what he expected to hear. His expectations were wrong.
Other than that he sounds like another screaming ninny.
bobafuct:
January 16th, 2013 at 1:54 pm
12 years in a prison camp? Was this in “Latavia”?
http://www.linkedin.com/in/mcgroarty
Latavian
(Elementary proficiency)
nonnymus:
January 16th, 2013 at 1:55 pm
Just so everyone knows his ‘academic’ qualifications consist of a Masters in Business Administration and being a Microsoft Certified Software Engineer. His ‘honorifics’ are a parody of academic or professional honors, which is why most people who aren’t physicians, dentists, veterinarians, lawyers or Ph.D.’s refrain from using honorifics. What a maroon!
DonDueed:
January 16th, 2013 at 2:01 pm
Wait, what happened to I. Father and II. Father?
Oh, hang on. I get it. It’s “ill father”. Quite appropriate.
nonnymus:
January 16th, 2013 at 2:06 pm
bobafuct (#5). The guy’s tech resume reads like someone who’s moved around quite a bit to find permanent jobs while also working as a ‘consultant’ in his own one-person consulting firm. I wouldn’t be one bit surprised if his failure to hold down a job for more than a couple of years is due to his paranoia and anger management problems.
But hey, he’s wearing an amusing false mustache in his Facebook profile photo, so he must be an o.k. dude!
http://www.facebook.com/colin.mcgroarty?fref=ts
grumpyoldfart:
January 16th, 2013 at 2:11 pm
His family must be so proud.
Mr Ed:
January 16th, 2013 at 2:21 pm
I’m seeing something like this in my family. My father in law has been watching more and more Glenn Beck and Fox News. When you are bombarded all the time about how your freedom is under attack you tend to see it. last I knew my FIL was sure that the fiscal cliff would completely destroy our economy and we would end up with some so sort of Hunger Games Obama world. Group think
noastronomer:
January 16th, 2013 at 2:23 pm
Dad!!! You’re embarassing me!!!
(and I really like how this gentleman has taken to heart the new definition of fascism as ‘stuff I don’t agree with’)
arakasi:
January 16th, 2013 at 2:25 pm
OK, so the recitation of a creed to treat others with respect, follow the school rules, and try your best is indoctrination into a fascist worldview, while pledging allegiance to a flag is the height of freedom and patriotism. Apparently due the recognized legal precident of Quia ego sic dico*
At least the school creed is understandable to the average kindergartener.
_
*”Because I say so”
Scr... Archivist:
January 16th, 2013 at 2:27 pm
There was no need for him to contact Verteran groups. Their rights are just as well respected in the U.S. as they are on their homeworld.
raven:
January 16th, 2013 at 2:33 pm
McGroarty has been issued a restraining order and police are now stationed at the school.
There is no explanation for why his kids are still attending that school though. They are in danger of turning into normal people or maybe even a Democrats.
jnorris:
January 16th, 2013 at 2:36 pm
An adult (maybe) having a temper tantrum over what he thinks a group of 5-6 years olds didn’t say. Good thing there were no Jehovah Witnesses in the room not saying the pledge.
eric:
January 16th, 2013 at 2:36 pm
Dear School District 304,
I can’t tell the difference between reciting two separate statements and one long statement. As a courtesy, I’m letting you know that I will be filing a suit on behalf of all Americans who, like me, lack the basic listening skills of your kindergarteners, as you are clearly discriminating against us.
oranje:
January 16th, 2013 at 2:42 pm
Sounds like somebody’s been playing out on Randall Road during rush hour too much.
robertbaden:
January 16th, 2013 at 2:46 pm
@ nonnymus
Not wanting a permanent job is not necessarily a sign of insanity. I worked as a contractor for 10 years and refused several permanent offers, including at the place I finally accepted a permanent position after four years as a contractor. Main reason I went permanent is the security now that I’m older.
steve84:
January 16th, 2013 at 2:47 pm
Having kindergarteners recite loyal pledges they don’t understand it precisely something the Nazis and other totalitarian regimes did
anubisprime:
January 16th, 2013 at 2:48 pm
Feel really sorry for his kids …
DaveL:
January 16th, 2013 at 3:03 pm
Does anyone know at what grade level kids are typically taught what a ‘republic’ is, or what ‘allegiance’ means?
MyPetSlug:
January 16th, 2013 at 3:04 pm
nonnymus @ 8,
As a software engineer myself the industry is very fast paced. There are lots of startup companies out there that go through an arc where they hire like crazy, the product doesn’t do well after a few years, and then they lay everybody off. Or they’re bought, people’s stock options vest and then a bunch of people leave for greener pastures. Plus, the software/IT industry in general is still doing pretty well despite the ecomony, so at least in my area it’s still common for companies to poach people from other companies.
I’m not saying that guy’s not unstable. I’m just saying, having a pattern of leaving a company every few years doesn’t really mean anything. It’s just the nature of the industry. In fact, it’s much more rare for someone to stay at a company for 10 years.
DaveL:
January 16th, 2013 at 3:11 pm
It struck me more as a hopeless sh*tstorm of meaningless buzzwords.
Can someone with knowledge of the U.S. Army training program please comment on his “Certificate of Appreciation” from the 12th Airborne two months prior to his graduation from the U.S. Field Artillery training center?
d.c.wilson:
January 16th, 2013 at 3:14 pm
So, he wants kindergarten students to be free to ignore all the rules of the school?
ronstrong:
January 16th, 2013 at 3:26 pm
So he objects to this creed, but NOT to the pledge? I guess nothing says “FREEDOM!” like a mandatory morning loyalty oath.
Personally, I find them both kinda creepy.
cjcolucci:
January 16th, 2013 at 3:31 pm
Love those rote pledges. My wife, whose age I will not reveal except to say that she has matured like fine wine, sometimes slips and refers to the Pledge of Allegiance as the “pledgeallegiance,” which is what she and her schoolmates called it in primary school. And don’t get me started about this mysterious “Richard Stans” character mentioned in the Pledge.
New Yorkers of a certain age must have wondered why they should not be led into Penn Station, and many others must have wondered who this busybody Mrs. Murphy was, who followed us all the days of our lives.
cjcolucci:
January 16th, 2013 at 3:32 pm
That should be “good Mrs.Murphy.”
Sastra:
January 16th, 2013 at 3:48 pm
Wait, this guy is on to something. They’re forcing little kids to make a commitment to “try their best?” At all times? And in all ways? Without fail? Like hyper-driven zealots?
As a concerned parent, I worry about the stress involved in setting up such unrealistic expectations. And yes, I am prepared to shed blood for this — in a half-assed, second-rate, when- I -finally- haul- myself-off -the- couch-and-get-around-to-it sort of way, of course.
Area Man:
January 16th, 2013 at 3:50 pm
I’m glad we have conservatives to protect us from the coming Nazi apocalypse. When the Nazis start making us do things like respect one another and follow the rules, then we’ve clearly lost all that liberty that was left out of the pledge but wasn’t.
gAytheist:
January 16th, 2013 at 4:10 pm
I wonder what McGroarty would have done if he’d heard the pledge the way William Safire presented it in one of his “On Language” columns:
“I led the pigeons to the flag”
http://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/14/magazine/100-years-new-york-times-language-may-27-1979-led-pigeons-flag.html
fifthdentist:
January 16th, 2013 at 4:19 pm
Without realizing how it had come about, the combat men in the squadron discovered themselves dominated by the administrators appointed to serve them. They were bullied, insulted, harassed and shoved about all day long by one after the other. When they voiced objection, Captain Black replied that people who were loyal would not mind signing all the loyalty oaths they had to. To anyone who questioned the effectiveness of the loyalty oaths, he replied that people who really did owe allegiance to their country would be proud to pledge it as often as he forced them to. And to anyone who questioned the morality, he replied that “The Star-Spangled Banner” was the greatest piece of music ever composed. The more loyalty oaths a person signed, the more loyal he was; to Captain Black it was as simple as that, and he had Corporal Kolodny sign hundreds with his name each day so that he could always prove he was more loyal than anyone else.
“The important thing is to keep them pledging,” he explained to his cohorts. “It doesn’t matter whether they mean it or not. That’s why they make little kids pledge allegiance even before they know what ‘pledge’ and ‘allegiance’ means.” — Catch-22
Rodney Nelson:
January 16th, 2013 at 4:43 pm
fifthdentist #31
My favorite character in Catch-22 is Major ____ de Coverley who stops the loyalty oath crusade by refusing to sign a loyalty oath in the mess hall and says “Give me eat…Give everyone eat!”
Doug Little:
January 16th, 2013 at 5:34 pm
I wonder if he is cramming religion down their throats yet?
Modusoperandi:
January 16th, 2013 at 5:51 pm
AND in Art class they have RED fingerpaint!
Michael Heath:
January 16th, 2013 at 5:55 pm
Ed reports:
I gag on “treat others with respect”. Respect should be earned, so they should have framed this point around the need to tolerate others.
No One:
January 16th, 2013 at 6:37 pm
nonnymus
You have the wrong McGroarty. I have been to the facebook page of the one in article above. THIS IS NOT THE GUY (the link provided in the quote).
naturalcynic:
January 16th, 2013 at 9:27 pm
Calling Emily Litella:
We need a nevermind
TCC:
January 16th, 2013 at 9:31 pm
Michael, I find your objection to be rather odd. “Respect others” is basically education-speak for “Don’t be an ass to others” or “Show common decency.” There is a basic level of respect that all people are entitled to as, you know, people; this doesn’t really go beyond that to anything else.
martinc:
January 16th, 2013 at 10:15 pm
Did he really write “American Center for Justice and Law” and then get the acronym wrong “(ACLJ)”?
PS. I agree with MyPetSlug @ 22. Moving around a lot in the IT industry is not a sign of possible anti-social problems; it’s a sign of being in the IT industry.
tainthammer:
January 16th, 2013 at 10:35 pm
Scr… (@13) made me actually LOL. Love to hear an interview with this guy now that he’s probably had someone explain to him what they were actually reciting.
dontpanic:
January 16th, 2013 at 10:37 pm
Yikes, too close to home (literal home, that is).
Raven, I’m afraid there are plenty of republicans locally. Though, I read reports that he’s not actually local, but a Rockford resident (~50 miles NW); children attend in Geneva district due to mother’s residence. Hmm, perhaps there’s are reason they’re not together?
Pleeze, pleeze FSM let there not be a need for the hospital that is 1/2 mile up the road. Fuck this freaks me out.
Patrick Slattery:
January 16th, 2013 at 10:58 pm
Definition of an MCSE:
http://www.userfriendly.org/cartoons/archives/00feb/uf001546.gif
gworroll:
January 17th, 2013 at 2:32 am
DaveL @23:
There could be a lot of things. Civilians are sometimes given certificates of appreciation, a local business that supports the troops, or someone who helps organize morale activities.
Also, soliders change specialty sometimes. You might start in the infantry and later on shift over to artillery. In most cases, this will involve formal training in the new specialty.
There are also more advanced training courses that soldiers go on after initial training and a few years of service. Some related to specific types of postings within the field, a particular subfield, related management, or just more advanced skills that we don’t need everyone trained in.
seivadthe:
January 17th, 2013 at 6:17 am
MCSE? As in Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert? You stick that at the end of a letter?
I need to start adding MSCA and CCNA at the end of mine, hmm, and my BFBC2 achievements, I can shoot pixels, be afraid!
Olav:
January 17th, 2013 at 7:00 am
OK, beside the matter, but still…
In one IT firm where I used to work, MSCE meant Must Consult Someone Experienced.
Many times such certified “experts” would show intimate familiarity with Microsoft products, but no understanding of general principles or practices.
It meant for example that they would not recognise a superior solution to a problem if they had not learnt about it in Microsoft class.
Michael Heath:
January 17th, 2013 at 7:48 am
TCC writes:
That’s the way you interpret it, where I’m fully cognizant this definition is one of a handful of meanings for the word respect. But the definition you refer to is predominately leveraged by conservative Christians, who demand your definition of respect based on authority, hierarchy, and the cultural privilege they claim (sometimes unconsciously), their demand for respect is not based on earning the type of respect which uses the word as its most popularly understood.
In the educative realm consider the fact that conservative Christians are predominately creationists. Because of their privilege, because their leaders promote creationism, because of their promotion the government promote their beliefs, they demand your definition of respect be afforded to them when it comes their creationist beliefs; as if it was worthy of the same respect the theory of evolution has earned using my definition of the term. In this example we see a defective conflation of two very different meanings for the word respect. Using your term creates confusion I think we should avoid; if we want to promote your ideals, ““Don’t be an ass to others” or “Show common decency”, then I recommend using words which don’t lead to type of confusion that anti-education advocates misconstrue to promote their absurd beliefs.
On a related note this is why I never use the words “believe” or “belief” to describe my own conclusions; or that of other people I observe making structurally sound arguments. That’s because Christians and other religionists so frequently elevate the word belief for evidence-less observations they make – which are also frequently incoherent, to a meaning equivalent to somebody’s conclusion where the evidence is compelling or even convincing – an enormous fallacy of equivalency leveraged by a word having multiple meanings.
If the school chant had used the term ‘theory’ where the word was used to mean mere speculation rather than what theory means in science, I would be objecting for the exact same motivation I have here.
democommie:
January 17th, 2013 at 8:10 am
“I’m not saying that guy’s not unstable.”
If you want to do so I think that this:
http://ronslog.typepad.com/ronslog/2013/01/rockford-illinois-man-forgets-to-use-his-indoor-voice.html
might justify your doing so.
“I wonder if he is cramming religion down their throats yet?”
Apparently:
“The only thing that came close to that was when the Kane County Civil Court ruled that I could no longer take my Children to church. I’ll admit that I ignored that ruling as the Bill of Rights and Constitution make it clear that government does not have power over religion. I am now able to “legally” take my Children to church.” (from the previously cited “ronslog”)
His “Linked-in Page” has this:
“Presidential Motorcade Driver
U.S. Secret Service
March 1988
Served as motorcade driver during Vice President George H. W. Bush’s visit to Rockford, IL”
And a LOT of other stuff that is meaningless.
His facebook page has some very weird shit under “athletics” and his list of movies and the like is, um, fucked.
sc_5b5039dd39eec895ccc71934d4e6783f:
January 17th, 2013 at 12:05 pm
Scr… Archivist @ #13
Laughed out loud. You win this thread
billdaniels:
January 17th, 2013 at 7:25 pm
#26: I wondered for years who “Richard Stanz” was.
dono:
January 18th, 2013 at 8:58 am
Our class had to write an essay about the Pledge of Allegiance in fourth grade. Don’t remember what I said about it, but I do know that when I put mine on the teacher’s desk, the kid who turned his in before me had titled it “The Pledge of the Legions.”
Michael Heath:
January 18th, 2013 at 9:09 am
The Pledge of the Legions
ROFL, largely because the other kid isn’t all that far off.
seivadthe:
January 18th, 2013 at 9:34 am
Yup, thats pretty much how its taught. I did my MSCA within a IT Networking foundation degree (I think that is like the US asociates degree, not sure though) that threw in CCNA too. For the ‘practical’ exam, we had to set up a network using some old computers and Windows 2000, in 2007! That counts for the qualification.
Current job is on a network that uses linux servers, rendering the qualification useless, but yet having it helped me get the job in the first place. So it goes.
Current IT qualification/training setup is pretty messed up imo.