Eurotrash

[Danny Carlton]

From Free Republic...

This past Saturday (6/7/08) my wife and I took our kids to the Statue of Liberty. They are 10 and 13 and it was their first trip to NYC. We took the ferry to the Statue of Liberty and were to proceed on to Ellis Island.

Like most tourist, we were taking photos and helping others to take group photos as well. As we got close to the front of the Statue, we saw a young, 18-22 year old young man step on top of the wall separating the grassy area from the sidewalk which circles the statue. Below him stood his mother and father to take his picture. He posed for his picture, Lady Liberty directly behind him, with his right arm lifted and middle finger extended. He was clearly mocking the statue... and America.

I started to get mad and told my wife to look at him. As I started to walk towards the family, my wife begged me to go no further. I did not want to create a scene, nor did I want to argue with my wife. My heart was racing.

As I stood and watched, the mother (late 40's) was helping him pose and told him to curl his middle finger instead of holding it straight. As the mother, son and father all laughed, there was not a single person around who was looking at them or approaching in disgust. I could hear the family talking and laughing, but the language was not American. It sounded like a cross between German and Russian (is that possible?) My wife was trying to look away, so I walked close to the family and spat on the ground behind them in absolute disgust. They looked around but I was moving away. Then I stood and stared in my green reflector fishing glasses.

Again they started the pose. This time my 10 year old daughter saw him holding a water bottle between his legs at the crotch like he was peeing while giving the finger. My wife came up and said "let's go!" I said OK, just give me a second. I got a large loogy in my mouth, walked up and spat in the middle of them, took three steps back and stood and stared. They looked somewhat shocked and a little intimidated. I did not break my glare. They looked around as if someone might come and take me away. After about 15-20 seconds when that did not happen, they packed up their camera stuff and walked quickly away and got in the ferry line. The laughing had stopped.

Did I do the right thing? Could I have done something "more American"? I felt very angry about the way they came on our soil and mocked our most cherished symbol of Liberty and Freedom. Have you witnessed other acts of Euro punk desecration? How dare they do this and no American set them straight.

[Anon]

We've been up there about three times now and have noticed nothing but reverence for the statue but I have no doubt it happens.

[John81]

Unfortunately, I've seen the same and worse performed by Americans.

I would have handled the situation differently (better or worse, I don't know) but other than that I can't say exactly how I would have reacted without having been there.

In any event, you got their attention, they realized not everyone agrees with them, and they moved on.

[HappyChristian]

Good for him!!! Whether a person is foreign or not, whether it's done here in America or in another country at it's memorials, that kind of stuff shouldn't be tolerated. They most likely wouldn't have understood English, but they sure got the hint, didn't they. :thumb

[qwerty guy]

Hey... it's perfectly legal to defile and burn american symbols.

It's not like America would go to war over something like that.

Oh wait..................

(check history books if you don't get it :-p )

[war_eagle]

Hey.

I deleted my post because somebody brought it to my attention that I made it appear that it was something that happened to me, personally.

It didn't.

It was a story told by Gerald MacRainey on the Glenn Beck show. I'm sorry if I gave anyone the impression that I was claiming the story for my own.

[Palatka51]

So much for gratitude. :R

[OLD fashioned preacher]

There are still many who come (or want to come) to this country and RESPECT the freedoms of this country. The others can go back home and take some ungrateful Americans with them. I'm not saying the US is 100% right nor am I saying we shouldn't point out her problems or work to correct them - but ship out the illegals and politcians or judges who subvert out Constitution. We could call it a beautification program!!