Now that it's had time to percolate, there are all sorts of videos on Youtube about it, including interviews with both Phillips and Sandmann. Take your pick.
This is Sandmann's interview...he says he wasn't smirking.
and an interview with Phillips -- he says Sandmann was. (I couldn't find the longer version)
Phillips says he won't meet with the students because "they stole his narrative."
(And thunder?)
Oops, now he's willing, after all. Did he realize his initial refusal made him look bad...
Or are the Covington students setting him up, to steal his narrative again?
This all gets very confusing.
Nathan Phillips, along with about 60 others, celebrated his drumming confrontation with Covington Catholic school students on Saturday by marching to the nearest basilica that day and trying to interrupt the 5:15 mass... on the grounds that the Church put the boys up to their 'cruel, unfeeling' behavior.
I wonder why this incident wasn't filmed and shared, or even mentioned much?
More on Phillips here, from a years-old article.
More here too, from his recent interview with CNN.
In spite of his service as a Marine veteran -- but not in Vietnam, nor a "Ranger" -- Phillips did describe himself as one while speaking in the interviews. Actually, he's a Vietnam ERA vet -- something the Brick understands well, since he is, too. (The Brick served six years in the Navy during the Vietnam war, but was never stationed in or near Vietnam.) More here on Phillips' Marine experience.
Phillips is no stranger to demonstrations. He has been photographed and quoted protesting at different ones in various places -- and lived in a tepee in downtown Washington D.C. with his wife and young children for years, as a protest. (Read the above articles about him. Why he was there, and what exactly he was doing, is also fuzzy. Sadly, his wife died of cancer -- no word on the kids who, based on the article, must be in their early teens by now.)
And a lawyer is getting in the picture, threatening to sue if he believes people's comments are libelous. (Some certainly are...on both sides. The lawyer's giving people 48 hours to delete before he takes action --will those comments be retracted? We'll see.)
Bunny trail: Do I believe that every one of these teenage boys responded with innocence and faith to the insults being hurled at them -- and no one yelled back? Of course not. They're kids -- and teenaged kids can be brats. Did they respond to the drumming in a feisty, jumping-around way? The video shows that happened. But was it a deliberate insult, or a "we're going to drown you out" response to adults (yes, ADULTS, Gentle Readers) yelling insults, and in their faces?
Ever been to a high school pep rally or basketball game? Opposing sides will do much the same rowdy thing to each other. Is it rude? Yep. Enthusiastic? That, too. It's called school spirit when you do it there.
Let's put it this way. What would you have done? Would you have lost your temper and done something stupid, in this situation?
Hopefully not. But...who knows.
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Update: Yep, some crass teenaged boys were included in the group. The eight-second video on this link proves it. Yelling at girls -- shame on them! Way to be thoughtless jerks.
* * * * * *
The whole affair is just plain freaky. .. and thanks to social media, blowing up into a huge brouhaha. Could it have been handled differently? Absolutely.
Another bunny trail: Apparently the new 'in' word to describe Native Americans is "indigenous." But what exactly does that mean? I've seen that word used to denigrate other cultures as backward and not so smart. These people are intelligent, media-savvy...and don't hesitate to use those skills to promote their cause.
I continue to watch with fascination at all the posturing and comments, including the celebrities who really don't have a clue what's going on, but enjoy running their mouths off, just the same. (Like Kathy Griffin. Sigh.)
I need to get back to work.
More updates on the Monday Stuff post next week -- there are bound to be some.
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