Two men attending a Connecticut high school basketball game were forced from the premises when they sat during the national anthem.
The men, Jeffrey Green and Aaron Johnson were in attendance with their wives when they were confronted by New Britain High School athletic director Lenny Corto and asked to leave.
Green and Johnson are now suing the school, saying that their rights to free speech were violated. The two men gave their accounts to WTNH.COM:
“We wasn’t moving at first. We was asking why, why you kicking us out? We want to know why and he said, ‘Cause of the National Anthem…’ I think the expectation is to stand but I think everybody has a right if they want to stand or not,”
And he says, the athletic director singled them out.”
In order to get to us, he had to go over about four or five rows that had fans in there that weren’t standing up.”
My one national anthem story comes from a Clemson football game, where I was standing directly in front of some young adult who thought it would be funny to mock the words of the anthem while others around them were paying respects to their country, and to the freedoms that it provided them. This was about two years ago, and to this day, I regret not punching that kid in the face.
Yes, one could argue that it’s a person’s right to not stand for the anthem. But in doing so, one ignores where that very right originates. Exercising free speech, while ignoring how one is able to enjoy that right, is cowardly. And possibly, depending on the outcome of the lawsuit, quite lucrative. God bless America.
3:39 pm on March 15th, 2008
Give me a break Punter. Perhaps this should be posted on Foxnews.
I have had to sit through the anthem because of back/leg surgery. Yes, I got the stares, but I don’t give a crap. I hate to “aruge” with you about it, but loving your country is a lot more than standing up and saluting.
You are saying that you are ignoring freedoms by NOT doing it? You are ignoring freedoms if you decide it’s a-ok to chastise and remove those who don’t do it. Since when did being a good American depend on whether or not you stand and whether or not you sit around and stew about how you should have punched somebody out? That’s not America. That’s good ol’ fashioned hot-headed jackassery and it knows no borders or political affiliation.
3:55 pm on March 15th, 2008
>>You are saying that you are ignoring freedoms by NOT doing it?
I’m saying that you’re ignoring how those freedoms came to you. And yeah, as far as the AD kicking those two out, I suspect that there was more than just reported. If they were laughing or carrying on, as in my example, I wouldn’t have had as big a problem with it.
I admit it’s a gray area. I don’t know if throwing them out was warranted. Based on what’s been reported, I would certainly say it wasn’t. But like I said, I don’t think all the facts are out.
And I don’t understand how you can defend someone that can’t sit still for two minutes while the rest of us pay tribute to our country. If someone was being an ass during a moment of silence while paying tribute to someone you loved, would you be as quick to defend him?
4:10 pm on March 15th, 2008
I am not defending anybody for being an ass. ANYBODY. If you punch a kid out, doesn’t that make you an ass? Think about it.
Last time I checked, you still have a right to act like an ass in America. That’s part of the beauty of this country. Now, if you want to tell him he’s an ass, then that is your right. Assaulting somebody for being an ass is not a good idea. That is a crime, being a disrespectful douche isn’t a good idea, but it isn’t a crime that is worthy of corporal punishment either, no matter how mad we get.
I will stand up for people’s rights, as long as they don’t infringe on mine. It isn’t really a violation of my rights for a kid to act like a moron. I don’t have to like it, but it doesn’t really hurt anything other than my feelings. Believe me, the way he acts lets everybody know what an idiot he is. We don’t need to further compound those types of problems by taking ridiculous steps.
I’m a teacher, and I have had kids who acted like buffoons during the national anthem. Did I kick them out of class? No. We had a nice talk about what it meant and the reason we do it. The disrespect seems to stop. If I had taken the approach that you or the this AD suggests then I think I would have done a lot more harm than good. Agree?
Perhaps the AD could have talked to the two gents after the game to see what was up and tell him why he thinks we should do it, and why it is an expectation and leave it at that. Instead he makes a big scene and probably does nothing to increase these guy’s patriotism which everybody seems so quick to question.
4:29 pm on March 15th, 2008
As far as I am concerned, no one HAS to sing, stand or do anything in regard to the flag or our country. However, I can still judge them for not doing it.
4:32 pm on March 15th, 2008
Okay, but there’s a key question that could settle this whole debate: where was Carl Lewis at the time of this incident?
4:39 pm on March 15th, 2008
>>Assaulting somebody for being an ass is not a good idea. That is a crime.
Your expert legal analysis aside, you’re missing the point. This kid was being ignorant. I believe that the two gentlemen in question were being ignorant. So quit telling me “Oh, they have rights,” and acting like they’re being true Americans when they’re just being ignorant.
Yes, that’s their right. I get it. Stop reminding me.
4:41 pm on March 15th, 2008
And by beating up a kid at a football game or even suggesting it…. you are being ignorant. I would dare say that our soldier’s fought and died for our freedoms so that we didn’t have to fight each other over those same freedoms. Apparently you don’t “get it”.
4:42 pm on March 15th, 2008
Sorry, there shouldn’t have been an apostrophe on soldiers. I wouldn’t want to be accused of being ignorant on the grammatical stuff.
4:44 pm on March 15th, 2008
>>And by beating up a kid at a football game or even suggesting it…. you are being ignorant.
What? I can’t be angry about that? I can’t express that here?
WHAT ABOUT MY FEEEEEELINGS?
(I think we’re on the same page, aside from me wanting to punch that kid in the face. And let the record show that his face left the premises unscathed)
4:47 pm on March 15th, 2008
Trust me… that kid may have left with his face unscathed, but people like that have a way of finding trouble eventually. Karma has a way about it…..
Good karma to you for not punching his face in.