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Offline Squirrelsaurus Rex

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The latest Civil War prisoner...
« on: October 14, 2004, 05:36:27 AM »
Costume gets kid cuffed
Pine Bush senior had replica of Civil War musket for re-enactment



Pine Bush – Last weekend, Joshua Phelps was fighting Confederate soldiers with a Civil War-era musket in his arms, re-enacting the epic 1863 Battle of Chancellorsville.
When the Pine Bush High School senior was done charging around the grassy fields behind Montgomery's Brick House Museum, he tossed his musket, a bayonet and Union soldier's blue uniform in his car and forgot about it.
Yesterday, a security guard at the high school saw the butt of the musket.
He called the cops.
The discovery by the guard sparked a chain of events that got the B-average student arrested, suspended from school for five days and facing weapons charges. He could be expelled from school and even jailed.
Phelps, 17, was sitting in study hall when the security guard told him to come to Assistant Principal Aaron Hopmayer's office. When he got there he was told that a rifle had been spotted in his car.
He wasn't concerned. He knew they would understand.
"I actually thought it was kind of stupid, at first, when I heard it was about the musket," Joshua said. "I didn't think I'd get arrested over it."
He went with them to the parking lot and let them search his car. They pulled the musket from his back seat along with a uniform and Civil War-era accessories.
Minutes later, he was arrested by Town of Crawford police, handcuffed, and charged with fourth-degree criminal possession, a misdemeanor. The cops confiscated the gun.
His mother, Valerie Michaels, is outraged.
"They arrested my son for having a Civil War costume," she said yesterday. "The school district has blown this incident totally out of proportion. It's ludicrous."
The musket was part of the teenager's Civil War-era costume, which included his uniform – shoes, leather belt, jacket, hat, powder keg and a leather cartridge box.
Over the weekend, Phelps participated in the re-enactment of the May 1863 battle of Chancellorsville at the Brick House Museum, an annual event hosted by the 124th New York State Volunteers, the famed "Orange Blossoms."
The re-enactors model themselves after the original regiment, which was mustered into action from Orange County in the summer of 1862. The unit would take part in the battles of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg the following year – key conflicts in the war.
Michaels said she understands how school officials would be concerned, in the post-Columbine era, after discovering the musket on school grounds. But she said once they learned the musket was a replica, they should have given him a break.
"I don't understand why the school wants to push this so far," she said. "There are bigger problems at that high school than this. It just doesn't make any sense."
Town of Crawford police Chief Daniel McCann disagreed. Replica or not, he said, the musket could have been used to fire a projectile, such as a small rock.
He said officers found 14 to 15 rolled cartridges with black powder, and a bayonet.
"I know this might appear to be a minor thing, but it's not," McCann said. "The musket was found in his car on the high school grounds and could have been used."
Pine Bush Superintendent RoseMarie Stark called yesterday's incident a "student discipline matter" and declined comment.
School officials say bloody massacres like the April 20, 1999, one at Columbine High School, have prompted state and federal governments to enact laws about weapons in schools.
Many states have a zero-tolerance stance, meaning a fake musket that fires blanks carries the same penalty as a loaded AK-47 assault rifle. In New York, each case must take into account the weapon, the circumstances and the student's history.
"There is a concern among school districts, even with replicas or fake guns," said David Ernst, a spokesman for the state School Boards Association.
In Pine Bush, the high school had recruited students to become involved in the Civil War re-enactors club.
Phelps, who joined the Civil War Club a few months ago, said he was looking to get more involved in extra-curricular activities, hoping it would boost his standing on college applications. He found an ad for the club in the school district's annual catalog.
After joining, the Orange Blossoms, who are affiliated with the club, gave him a uniform, the replica musket that shoots blanks, a powder keg and a Union soldier's uniform.
"If they [the school district] were really so afraid that a replica musket could be used to shoot someone, then why are they giving them out to 17-year-olds?" Michaels asked.
Squooshy... the other white meat.

Offline big medicine

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« Reply #1 on: October 14, 2004, 07:00:59 AM »
There are some stupid people in charge from the school to the cops. What a bunch of idiots.

Offline doc_kreipke

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« Reply #2 on: October 14, 2004, 02:15:40 PM »
Good thing that the young man had Federal blue in that there trunk. If it had been a Confederate uniform, the school board probably would have had the FBI arrest him for TREASON!
-K

Offline Hooker

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« Reply #3 on: October 14, 2004, 02:51:14 PM »
Sounds like typical public school system to me. And the police chief just wants the publicity. Likes to see his name in print.
I remember repairing and refinishing my shotgun stock in wood shop. Got an A for the project. And every boy in school carried at least one pocket knife, and half the girls had one to. Me and my buds kept our guns in our pickups in the gun rack in plain site. Sometimes after school our principal and some of our teachers would go dove hunting with us boys. I guess nowadays they'd arrest the whole school and put them in front of a firing squad for such behavior. Sure do'nt envy these kids today, not only do they miss out on the fun they get a second rate education to boot.

Pat
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Offline muzzleblast525

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Idiots!
« Reply #4 on: October 14, 2004, 03:18:11 PM »
Being a police officer, I can't believe some officers would even arrest over such a BS deal.  While a patrol supervisor, I would have officers call me over what I would think would be "Use your common sense" issues.  Same thing happened, some kid had a butter knife in his car and the school was demanding the kid be arrested.  I told them, Nope, don't fit the criteria of a weapons charge, you handle it, but we aint.  I could go on, but you get the picture.  Hopefully, the district or county attorney in that area will have the good sense to see this is crap, but the damage has been done with the kid getting arrested.

Offline twodollarpistol

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« Reply #5 on: October 15, 2004, 01:12:08 AM »
Quote from: Hooker
Sounds like typical public school system to me. And the police chief just wants the publicity. Likes to see his name in print.
I remember repairing and refinishing my shotgun stock in wood shop. Got an A for the project. And every boy in school carried at least one pocket knife, and half the girls had one to. Me and my buds kept our guns in our pickups in the gun rack in plain site. Sometimes after school our principal and some of our teachers would go dove hunting with us boys. I guess nowadays they'd arrest the whole school and put them in front of a firing squad for such behavior. Sure do'nt envy these kids today, not only do they miss out on the fun they get a second rate education to boot.

 Hooker, this is exactly how I grew up. In our school most of the boys even carried Buck 110's in a pouch on there belt in open sight. They had just become popular in our area and you just weren't "in" if you didn't have one. Wish my grand kids could know what it was like to grow up in simpler and more sensible times like that. :(
The Lord didnt create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close. :D

Offline Mikey

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« Reply #6 on: October 15, 2004, 02:58:50 AM »
S. Rex:  I know that area.  The cops down there are jerks, the school officials are jerks, and none of thier stupid decisions are ever going to prevent any crimes.  That sheriff should be voted the hell out of office and that school superintendant should be fired.  The best thing that kid's mother can do is sue the school district for tons of money and get both those idiots fired.  

Anyone who equates an ak-47 to a musket shouldn't be allowed to breed and any idiot who feels someone can shoot rocks from a musket shouldn't be allowed to breathe.  Just my feelin's on the matter.  Mikey.

Offline magooch

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« Reply #7 on: October 15, 2004, 03:16:43 AM »
Welcome to the wonderful world of liberalism.
Swingem

Offline powderman

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« Reply #8 on: October 15, 2004, 03:23:11 AM »
Liberals. Can't live with em, can't live without em? Sure we could, and a better world for all. POWDERMAN.  :D  :D  :D  :D
Mr. Charles Glenn “Charlie” Nelson, age 73, of Payneville, KY passed away Thursday, October 14, 2021 at his residence. RIP Charlie, we'll will all miss you. GB

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Offline Nightrain52

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« Reply #9 on: October 15, 2004, 05:31:49 AM »
I think what doomed this teen was the discovery of the 15 black powder paper charges. Black powder is classified as an explosive and is used to make home made bombs. Before anything was done to this teen there should have been an investigation into the circomstances before any thing was done. Now this youth will probably have a criminal record the rest of his life which will probably bar him from going to some colleges. Welcome to the world of The Patriot Act and Homeland Security and down the drain with common sense. :D
FREEDOM IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR-ARE YOU WILLING TO DIE FOR IT--------IT'S HARD TO SOAR LIKE AN EAGLE WHEN YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY TURKEYS

Offline tscott

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« Reply #10 on: October 15, 2004, 03:57:26 PM »
This is exactly why I moved from once rural / dairy farm Orange county
NY to North Carolina... City paranoia!! Pine Bush was once a haven
for rabbit and pheasant. Now a bedroom community, for people who think they are on cloud nine, with a 2 hr daily commute to Manhattan. YUCH!

Offline Mauser

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« Reply #11 on: October 18, 2004, 10:51:17 AM »
There is just no common sense any more.  Our country has just gotten too populated with too many folks who just don't seem to have the common sense to live in a free society.  I can't tell who is more stupid--the school administrator or the cop.

Offline Nightrain52

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« Reply #12 on: October 18, 2004, 01:57:23 PM »
This is what happens when people depend on the government to answer their questions. We have became a nation incapable of making our own decisions without guidance from some arm of the government doing it for us. More and more people want to be led around like lambs going to slaughter and common sense is becoming extinct. Lawyers have a lot to do with it, unless everything is spelled out in black and white a lawyer will find some gray area and exploit it. Supreme Court judges also have to share some of the blame also with the rulings and decisions they have made. :eek:  :D
FREEDOM IS WORTH FIGHTING FOR-ARE YOU WILLING TO DIE FOR IT--------IT'S HARD TO SOAR LIKE AN EAGLE WHEN YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY TURKEYS

Offline powderman

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« Reply #13 on: October 18, 2004, 04:41:11 PM »
I've carried a pocket knife since I was in grade school, still do. All the boys carried them, we never even thought of them as a weapon. Senior year in high school I took a swiss army rifle to school for history week. There were rifles from several countries showing the different types used in WW11, we even took ammo. There were fighting knives, daggers, bayonetts, you name it, we had it, even swords. We all carried them to school on the bus. Nobody even thought about misusing any of them. We had respect for ourselves and others, something lacking today. POWDERMAN.  :?  :?  :?  :?  :roll:  :roll:  :roll:  :roll:  :roll:  :roll:  :wink:  :wink:  :wink:  :wink:  :wink:  :wink:
Mr. Charles Glenn “Charlie” Nelson, age 73, of Payneville, KY passed away Thursday, October 14, 2021 at his residence. RIP Charlie, we'll will all miss you. GB

Only half the people leave an abortion clinic alive.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAiOEV0v2RM
What part of ILLEGAL is so hard to understand???
I learned everything about islam I need to know on 9-11-01.
http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDqmy1cSqgo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u9kieqGppE&feature=related
http://www.illinois.gov/gov/contactthegovernor.cfm

Offline tscott

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« Reply #14 on: October 19, 2004, 04:59:50 AM »
In rural NY 40 years ago, our HS principal asked us not to bring our deer rifles to school to store in our lockers for the aft. hunt....
"don't want to be responsible for personal property, keep in someones
car".... Yes there was an occasional fight in Gym. No one would ever dream of assualting another with a dangerous weapon....
POOR PARENTING!!!!!!