An announcer at a high school football game made very clear his feelings for those who choose not to stand for the national anthem.
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According to a report by AL.com, the announcer at the Friday-night game at McKenzie High School in Butler County, Ala., said that those who choose not to stand “can line up over there by the fence and let our military personnel take a few shots at you, since they’re taking shots for you.”
Facebook user Denise Crowley-Whitfield posted about the announcer’s apparent comments, adding that “the entire crowd went crazy cheering.”
“I desperately needed to see some good in this world after a disheartening week. May our God bless ALL his children (even though ungrateful ones) and this incredible country in which we live!” Crowley-Whitfield added.
The announcer was identified as the Rev. Allen Joyner of the local Sweet Home Baptist Church by friends and relatives who also posted about and praised Joyner’s statement.
According to AL.com, Crowley-Whitfield’s post was shared more than 4,600 times and received more than 50 comments before she deleted her Facebook account Saturday afternoon.
Sweet Home Baptist Church also stood by its pastor, the site reports, saying that Joyner’s words were “taken out of context and misquoted several times over.” However, that post was deleted after about an hour.
Butler County Schools Superintendent Amy Bryan condemned the pastor’s statement, telling AL.com in a statement: “Patriotism should be a part of school events, but threats of shooting people who aren’t patriotic, even in jest, have no place at a school. … Threats of violence are a violation of school policy and certainly not condoned by the school board.”
Bryan said that she did not know if any action would be taken against Joyner, but told AL.com that the school board meets this week and the incident could be brought up then.
Read more at AL.com.
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