Sunday, January 22, 2012

Community board member resigns over pledge


From the Times Ledger:

Right after Community Board 4 said the Pledge of Allegiance before its monthly meeting in Corona last week, a longtime member announced he would be stepping down because two other members would not salute the flag.

Nicolas Pennachio, who said he had been on the board for 24 years, prefaced his announcement by describing watching U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.), who was shot in the head by a would-be assassin Jan. 8 last year and has since undergone extensive speech therapy, lead the Pledge of Allegiance with the help of her husband Mark Kelly.

After that he said he was resigning due to other members declining to say the Pledge of Allegiance.

“How can they in fairness vote for the issues brought before our democratic, American board if they feel uncomfortable and doubt whether the pledge is warranted?” Pennachio asked.

The decision took some of Pennachio’s fellow board members by surprise. Many wished him well at the end of the meeting and a man who was planning to join the board ended up withdrawing his application due to Pennachio’s resignation.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

can not the Queens borough president H.Marshall, who appoints the members , also cancel their appointments ?

are the two members communists ?

Anonymous said...

All Community Boards meetings start with the pledge of allegiance, as by boards bylaws. Instead of resigning, he should have started a petition to remove from the Community Board anyone who refuses to follow the bylaws.

Anonymous said...

24 years as a board member?

Too damn long!

Just like a lot of lifers at CB# 7 that should likewise resign!

The Flushing Phantom said...

LOL!

You should see CB #7's board chairman, Eugene Kelty, lead the pledge of allegiance to the USA with great gusto.

It really is quite moving.

But that's usually followed by CB# 7's pledge of allegiance to developers (in the back room) after the meeting ends.

Anonymous said...

Anon No. 1: That's assuming that the Borough President appointed those two members. She appoints half; the City Council Members from that area appoint the others.

Inasmuch as Community Board No. 4's District Manager just passed away (RIP, Richard), I'd say that they have other things to deal with first.

CM Koo ? said...

What so bad about predging arregiance?

I did same when I was community board member.

James, prease help me out here.

Anonymous said...

I posted this on my FB wall and sent it to Drudge. This needs some national attention. DISGRAZIA.

Anonymous said...

I personnaly know Nick and it was sad that he resigned (at the same time, I agree with him) and hope he reconsiders/considering the untimely death of Richard (RIP). Nick is a great man and more importnatly has a big heart and he is a huge asset to the community. Helen Marshall should mandate that everyone pledges to the flag, if not resign!!

John from Conn said...

He should have asked that they all perform the Nazi style "Bellamy salute."

Francis Bellamy was a Christian Socialist and author of the pledge published in 1892. Yes 1892! He championed the rights of working people and the equal distribution of economic resources, which he and others such as Washington Gladden and Walter Rauschenbusch believed was inherent in the teachings of Jesus. He was forced to leave his Boston church the previous year because of the socialist bent of his sermons.

The pledge has nothing to do with "the founding father's" as most mopes believe. It is simple Marxian propaganda to teach people to be good little citizens and not to question their all powerful new post "War Between the States" government. It is meant to steer drones into a collectivist, anti-individual right's mind-set. It has absolutely nothing to do with true patriotism. It was used by Bellamy and the other socialist big government progressives of his day to push the post civil war "centralized inseparable union" myth that Lincoln and the Republicans used as their justification as they illegally invaded the sovereign southern States to enforce their Whig tariff collection schemes.

georgetheatheist said...

Right on, John from Conn!

(This site is s-o-o-o educational!)

It's too bad Pennachio doesn't know his history.

THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE IS COLLECTIVIST LEFT-WING MIND-WASHING.

I'd argue that those who say it are the real "communists".

Look at the conundrum here. The Pledge states "with Liberty...for all". Two Board members exercise that Liberty and Pennachio gets bent out of shape.