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| Photo by Ben Bulkeley "New mascot pumps up Wiscasset's fans" Wiscasset Newspaper, December 22, 2014. |
"Wiscasset High releases poll on proposals to replace controversial "R#%^*(@#" moniker" by Seth Koenig, Bangor Daily News, April 15, 2011.
"New mascot pumps up Wiscasset's fans" by Ben Bulkeley, Wiscasset Newspaper, December 22, 2014.
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Photo by Ben Bulkeley, Wiscasset Newspaper, which reported that the Wolverine costume was specially designed with a fan inside the head using funds raised by the Wiscasset Boosters.
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Retired Penobscot Chief Barry Dana, father of Tribal Ambassador Maulian Dana, is one such person. Here's his response to a post in the Facebook group SIP claiming that he and his wife, Lori Dana, who served on the school board in her town for many years, turned their backs during the flag salute at the beginning of the March 7 meeting.
Barry Dana's response was removed from Facebook after Chretien's accusatory post was removed. It began by noting that he and his wife entered a very crowded meeting room and stood near the back. The two stood with a couple from Massachusetts and (what follows is a direct quote from Barry's post):
...talked. Then the announcement came for the pledge as it does at all sad 54 meeting of which I have been to several now. So, we stopped talking and faced towards the front of the room. Being behind so many people I never saw the flag.
I do not pledge the flag, on account of the massacres of my ancestors . I see each of the 50 stars representing the 50 states where native genocide happened, i.e. norigwock massacre, the great swamp massacre, the trail of teas. wounded knee...and thousands more.
I do however always stand for the flag as it does represent the tens of thousands of native people who have fought in foreign wars..many being my relatives...some never making it home
So, someone, maybe this Derek decided that not crossing my heart and stating the pledge is somehow to be considered as "turning my back"...nice try Derek...but you lie...Liars lie
The thread he started goes on with his people falling hook line and sinker for the lie...People believe what they want to
If I so wanted to disrespect the flag, why didn't I "turn my back" at all the other school board meetings?...because I didn't then nor when he lied about me doing so....
Oh and their people also said I was kicked off the island for stealing money....more lies
They have the right to fight for their fake honoring, but why stoop to such a low level as to lie....
Please if anyone seeing this post can share it to this Derek, please do so...so his faithful followers can see the truth ...even though they won't believe it.....with so many smart phones these days, seems so someone seeing me turn my back would have for the sake of the flag taken a pic and shared it far and wide by now
Barry, I don't know if you read my blog but I know that SIP people do, so I'm sharing your message here.
I note that one of the comments on the SIP thread also accuses a board member who voted for change, but doesn't use a name. I guess reciting the pledge of allegiance is mandatory in the minds of some people?
Let me come right out and say that I haven't recited the pledge in years, although I do stand out of respect for the feelings of the people around me. My issue is different from Barry's, though both are related to white supremacy and the violence it perpetrates.
I will start reciting the pledge again when my country stops using my tax dollars to bomb children asleep in their beds or on the bus to school in oil-rich lands.
I'm not ashamed of standing up for what I believe in. Luckily, the 1st Amendment protects my right to political speech, including not reciting a pledge of allegiance to the flag and the republic for which it stands, allegedly "with liberty and justice or all." Millions of Black and brown people are incarcerated for crimes that white people walk free for, or for trying to bring their families to the border to apply for asylum (safe refuge). Thousands of children and even babies are separated from their parents and caged in for-profit detention centers because of being brought to our border in a legal quest for safety.
Students in public schools are free to have their opinions, too. They can like one mascot or dislike another. They can stand for the pledge, or sit it out. These are the freedoms enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. This is what our elected officials are sworn to uphold.
Good luck to the MSAD 54 school board on the path forward to a real mascot that dishonors no one.
6 comments:
I really feel sorry for you loss. Having to live in a country that you seem to hate so much. I can't imagine what your life has been like to have so much hate coming from you towards people that you really have no personal knowledge about who they are. They way you attack people as being racist because their beliefs and their wanting to honor the native americans that founded the community. How you put them down about their iq when any of these people may have a high is then yourself. You have your beliefs and others have their beliefs. You walk on the bridge protesting but you don't feel others should protest for their feelings. Maybe it's time for those who love our country to stand up to you on the bridge and stop you from your freemdoms you have as an american citizen. Maybe you should be forced to change your belief as you have forced those in skowhegan to try and change theirs.
Dear Anonymous, Your comment sounds vaguely threatening. Yes, I do protest U.S. imperial wars and the president's racist wall on the bridge in Skowhegan. A group of us have been there pretty much every week since the photos from Abu Ghraib were published. We have seen many counter protesters come and go over the years. Our favorite was a young man with a sign that said "Honk if you think protesting is a waste of time." The sidewalk is a public space, so the police respect anyone exercising their 1st amendment right to political expression. I'm pretty sure they will not tolerate physical confrontation of others whose views you don't share. I sometimes have my grandchildren with me on the bridge. I will act to ensure their safety as they learn how to be concerned citizens.
I hope your proud of yourself today Interrupting a peaceful rally. You was the aggressor today walking up and confronting a group of people that was doing nothing more then you do every weekend. They was exercising their first admendment rights to be heard. You confronted a man and then accused him on your page of being me. While I was at the rally I was not at the bridge at that time. So you know i also had a chat with skowhegan police while the rally was going on and told them we would not confront you or interrupt you but you chose to interrupt our groups. Lisa I will be talking again to the skowhegan police and making sure they see the screen shot of your friend kevin culture making the threat to come down with a bunch of men to be ready for the SIP group. Also have the screen shot of you inviting him to come down. Lisa you protest about violence but yetxyou try to incite violence at a peacefully rally. You are wrong about who I am and you accused an innocent man of making threats against you. Seems like that's your style to accuse innocent people of wrong doing. Lisa i am still waiting for your response on when you are going to protest for better treatment of native americans? Better healthcare, better access to education and fair treatment by our government. I bet ill never see the day you protest to save American people. Hope you have a wonderful rest of you day.
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Dear Anonymous, This gets confusing because none of you will use your names. I'm responding to the comment that begins "I hope your[sic] proud of yourself..." I haven't accused anyone specific of making threats (see Anonymous comment here that begins "I feel sorry for you...") because I don't know who left that comment. It is the one I shared with the police chief, who sent officers to monitor the situation. On the bridge I did not confront anyone but I did ask if I could take photos, as I often do. Sean Poirier spoke up then saying "I am Sean Poirier" and after that followed me shouting at me what sounded like, "No don't say hi to Jenn Poirier who you've never met but you're always running your mouth about." I wasn't aware that either one of the Poiriers were on the bridge until Sean identified himself.
If you are actually interested in the history of the content of my protests since 2003, you could read old posts on this blog which is in fact named for my weekly practice Went2theBridge.
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