When Extreme Right-Wing Religionists Run Schools
Mar 17, 2021 18:49:48 GMT
rachelcarson1953 likes this
Post by mikef6 on Mar 17, 2021 18:49:48 GMT
The setting is North Idaho College, a public community college. The occasion is the virtual graduation ceremony last May. The student body vice-president (who has since become president) and founder of the school’s Secular Student Alliance chapter, Kai Sedlmayer-Nardi, led the Pledge of Allegiance. But Sedlmayer-Nardi chose to leave out the words “under God” (even though the subtitles included them). No one skipped a beat so the ceremony went on without a hitch.
Until, that is, it was noticed by Todd Banducci, the right-wing chairperson of the school’s Board of Trustees. The story broke when The Chronicle of Higher Education, just last week, reported on Banducci’s conduct with “complaints of aggressive, threatening and unprofessional behavior toward the college president, employees and his fellow trustees.”
For example, Banducci demanded a ridiculous amount of material from the school’s president Rick MacLennan in the span of a few minutes earlier this year, including sending regular summaries of his activities and “an accounting of your submitted expenses for the last 1.5 years.”
After these demands, Banducci noted that a student had not uttered the words “under God” when she recited the Pledge of Allegiance at the previous year’s graduation ceremony. “I expect,” Banducci wrote, “that this institution will work hard to see that should never happen again.” This has resulted in many calls for Banducci’s resignation but it remains to be seen whether that will happen.
Just a note to remind everyone of what they already know (even conservatives, but Pretend Patriots like to ignore this fact): “…one nation, under God, indivisible…” was not the Pledge until the Red Scare of the 1950s and pressure groups like the John Birch Society pushed the two word addition through a cowardly Congress.
And, of course, again it shows how the “right” (who are always wrong) just love the Cancel Culture when it comes to Christian Nationalism.
Until, that is, it was noticed by Todd Banducci, the right-wing chairperson of the school’s Board of Trustees. The story broke when The Chronicle of Higher Education, just last week, reported on Banducci’s conduct with “complaints of aggressive, threatening and unprofessional behavior toward the college president, employees and his fellow trustees.”
For example, Banducci demanded a ridiculous amount of material from the school’s president Rick MacLennan in the span of a few minutes earlier this year, including sending regular summaries of his activities and “an accounting of your submitted expenses for the last 1.5 years.”
After these demands, Banducci noted that a student had not uttered the words “under God” when she recited the Pledge of Allegiance at the previous year’s graduation ceremony. “I expect,” Banducci wrote, “that this institution will work hard to see that should never happen again.” This has resulted in many calls for Banducci’s resignation but it remains to be seen whether that will happen.
Just a note to remind everyone of what they already know (even conservatives, but Pretend Patriots like to ignore this fact): “…one nation, under God, indivisible…” was not the Pledge until the Red Scare of the 1950s and pressure groups like the John Birch Society pushed the two word addition through a cowardly Congress.
And, of course, again it shows how the “right” (who are always wrong) just love the Cancel Culture when it comes to Christian Nationalism.
