Mock Terrorist Drill at New Jersey School Uses Right Wing Christian Fundamentalists as Terrorists
Many Think Public Schools Are Liberal Indoctrination Camps, Could They Be Right?
In the mock terror drill, the gunmen, portrayed by two Burlington Township police detectives, were members of a right wing fundamentalist group called the "New Crusaders". This group supposedly didn't support the separation of church and state and had entered the school, shot some students and took over the school's media center because one of their daughters had been expelled for praying before class.
Many sources are highly irate about this mock terror drill, stating that using "Christian" fundamentalists, instead of Islamic terrorists, makes no sense. The school Superintendent, Chris Manno, worked with Burlington Township Police Department to come up with the strange scenario for the mock terror drill. "You perform as you practice," Superintendent Chris Manno said prior to the exercise. "We need to practice under conditions as real as possible in order to evaluate our procedures and plans so that they're as effective as possible." Considering the fact that prayer before class is protected by the Constitution, the basis of the scenario was completely unrealistic.
In response to Chris Manno's statement above, Bob Pawson, a Trenton public school teacher, asks, "So what allegedly real condition was imagineered? A grotesque scenario saturated with Christian-bashing prejudice and bigotry; a scenario which could never possibly occur."
Burlington Township released the following statement on April 4, 2007:
"On Thursday, March 22, 2007, an emergency management exercise was conducted at Burlington Township High School to test the emergency lockdown and evacuation procedures of the school and also to evaluate the response and mitigation procedures of the police, fire, and emergency medical services. The exercise lasted for approximately two and a half hours and tested many areas of emergency response. The scenario chosen was intended to be generic in nature and never to offend any group, affiliation or religious belief. The term "Christian" was not included in the scenario. It was believed that all groups pray and prayer in school is a universal issue. Similarly it is further believed that all groups experience right-wing fundamentalists in their organizations. The bottom line was the protection of human life should a significant event unfold. That goal was met. The Township regrets any insensitivities that might have been inferred by this action."
Bob Pawson said, "This denigrating drill is also a test of the reactions and responses of New Jersey's Christians, along with all other fair-minded citizens of any faith, to such a blatant example of anti-Christian animosity. A public apology is in order. The citizens of Burlington County could rightly demand the resignation or termination of school officials who dreamed up and approved this reprehensible scenario."
The fact that no major news organizations have reported on this, besides Fox News Channel, really makes one wonder.
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- Mock terror scenario revolved around two right wing Christian fundamentalists attacking a school.
- Christian students were outraged and reported the mock terror drill to their parents.
- Fox News Channel seems the only mainstream media organization to report on this story.
99 Comments
Post a CommentThis is awesome! Of course a little out dated (March 22, 2007) but still gave me a good laugh. Thanks.
There's something fishy about this story - public schools don't generally expel students for prayer, do they? And who, exactly, would describe a man taking a gun to go shoot kids as 'seeking justice'?
I was born in Burlington County, and last I checked, the majority of the residents are Catholic; they oughta be ashamed of their superintendent. This little 'drill' was clearly meant to subliminally influence these kids into associating Christianity with judgmental violence; What next? Fire Drills staged with a cute little story about Christian wackos 'purifying' the evil secular public schools by setting fire to it? The only reason for associating ANY GROUP with some kind of deadly disaster is to discredit them and make them a target, no matter HOW some folks on AC rationalize this nonsense!
This is clearly WRONG!! Who the hell in Burlington County thought this ridiculousness up? I think it's a bit of a stretch to leap from SOME Christians being total jerks to them becoming armed terrorists bent on a 'turn or burn' agenda! Why the superintendent couldn't use plain ol' generic 'terrorists' in their drill is beyond me. Iman=gine the outrage if they used Muslims as the example. Christians are NOT the only group pushing a prayer in school agenda; Muslims have successfully made themselves the exception to that rule in many American jurisdictions (but that doesn't make them terrorists either). Most terrorist acts do NOT have Christian toes in America, either! No church has EVER sponsored the vile acts of these lone, isolated, nutcases!
instead of loving those who choose to live differently from them and living alongside them in harmony, they have separate. they are judgmental and hateful. the act, in their dealings with others, the opposite of Christ. they even act in their dealings with fellow i.f.'s the opposite of Christ! the most obvious of these and the most prevalent example is with the homosexual community. i am not suggesting that everyone should believe the same way. i'm not suggesting that homosexuals or heterosexuals are right or wrong, even. i am simply stating that those who are filled with Christ's love, exude love. i am stating that they don't belittle or look down on someone because of their lifestyle or beliefs.
i think it's unquestionable wrong to insult anyone verbally and then to wave a sign in front of their faces telling them they are going to hell and then to get upset and shocked when, in a terrorist evacuation drill, they are portrayed as the terrorists! perhaps it's time i.f. took anothe
service at an i.f. baptist church and is asked to leave because pants on a woman are ungodly and immodest. it seems like most i.f.s have the tendency to bash anyone who doesn't believe exactly the way they do. according to them, there is only one way to praise or to seek God's face or what have you. the majority of i.f.s claim to know everything about the multifacetedness of God, and in turn, they begin to judge others based on their personal beliefs of how God is. is it any wonder people of other faiths see them as potential terrorists? how much does it take to go from publicly scorning someone because of their lifestyle to wanting to obliterate them in the name of Jesus?
don't get me wrong, i'm not suggesting that i.f.'s are terrorists. i'm just looking objectively at the signs. and to me, someone who was raised i.f. it's no surprise that people think they are capable of such actions. i.f.s seemingly have gotten away from teaching love the way Christ taught it. instead of loving
i believe this is a wake up call. christians today, mostly of the independnt fundamental(i.f.) denomination spend the majority of their time shooting people down. forgetting that we all are equal in certain aspects. that no one is more righteous than the next. don't believe me? who sits at football games holding signs that scream of God's "hatred" for the homosexuals at the same time forgetting that God disapproveds of liars, too. i simply mean, if they are going to target committers of sin, shouldn't they start by holding a revelation 21:8 sign in front of the mirror? revelation 21:8 states: "[and] lal liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone...." who hasn't lied before? why are i.f.'s picking toothpicks out of other's eyes when they have coffee table legs dangling from their irises?! my point is this. i.f.'s are sort of notorious for passing judgments. we've all heard the stories, a woman wearing pants goes to a sunday morning worship service a
...In short, I for one am unwilling to sacrifice the security of the schools in our nation in the name of political correctness, on the alter of liberalism. I know the facts won't change liberal minds; as Micheal Savage often says, liberalism is a mental disorder. It's only hope for a cure is rehabilitation through extensive education. So call me racist, bigoted, and hateful, because those words are merely the liberals default response to sound logic.
Like everyone else, I have no problem with terrorist drills, but I just want to know what is unreasonable about expecting the superintendent to follow his own advice, and spend time practicing for scenarios that are likely to occur. The few events that liberals have scrounged up which they claim are 'Christian' terrorism are ridiculously uncommon, and besides that, the "christians" who commit these acts are so distorted from what the Bible teaches that it is irresponsible journalism to refer to them as Christians. On the other hand, Islamic terrorism is rampant and often takes the form of child murder. We have seen time and time again the depths to which Muslims will sink to follow their sick religion, including school shooting, such as the recent one which I believe took place in Russia. These Islamic terrorists, unlike their 'Christian' counterparts, are actually obeying what the Quran commands regarding Infidels, and even other Muslims who seek to live peacefully. In short, I for on
Whoever said that christians haven't been persecuted "just because the were christians" on a grand scale needs to look into the Roman Empire. Christians were rounded up thrown in a ring and ripped apart by lions for the entertainment of others. Rome was set on fire by nero and the christians blamed. Every group has had its persecution. History turns the persecuted into the persecutors. No group is without exception. There are Radical extremists on all sides. To identify the entire group by the individual actions of a few people isn't right. I think it was a smart idea to practice being attacked at school but why did they have to pick such a name for the group? It has obviously been taken the wrong way by many people. You can't please everyone but you can try and ensure that what you're doing isn't taken the wrong way.