Gun Bias Check
Three years ago, it was Blake Douglass. Now it's deja vu all over again. This curmudgeon is Daniel G. Lee, Jr, Headmaster of the the Fryeburg Academy, in Fryeburg, Maine. 
He has a decided bias against guns.
At the Fryeburg Academy, there is a young man named Joshua Enos. Joshua is about to graduate and has participated in trap shooting since the age of thirteen. He is a full fledged member of the American Trap Association, with many trophies demonstrating his accomplishments. Joshua submitted a senior portrait with his shotgun, unloaded, broken, and draped over his shoulder for the yearbook. The photo was refused because it had a firearm in it. It was an evil, nasty dangerous gun that might go off at any time, and we can't have that in our yearbook can we Headmaster Lee? Think of the children! Someone could get hurt!
Joshua’s father asked if he could be in the alternative sports section of the yearbook.
Fryeburg Academy's response was not with a gun, but a photo of Joshua with his trophies would be OK. Joshua submitted a new portrait taken with some of his trophies. Fryeburg Academy noted the large number small guns held by the plastic figures on the top of each trophy and declared the photo with those little bitty plastic representations of big bad guns to be too damned dangerous. Hell, one of them could go off at any time, sending a picture of an itty bitty plastic bullet right out of the yearbook pages and into someone's skull, making them a slobbering vegetable for life. Does Joshua Enos have any idea how dangerous this kind of thing is?
From the Fryeburg Academy's website:
To make your views known on this bullshit, contact the Fryeburg Academy via Headmaster Daniel G. Lee Jr, at (207) 935-2001, extension 116. If he is not taking his calls, you can email him at dlee@fryeburgacademy.org.
Snail mail is: Headmaster, Fryeburg Academy, 745 Main St., Fryeburg, ME 04037.
The yearbook advisor, Mrs. Kneeland is available at (207) 935-2001, extension 129.
He has a decided bias against guns. At the Fryeburg Academy, there is a young man named Joshua Enos. Joshua is about to graduate and has participated in trap shooting since the age of thirteen. He is a full fledged member of the American Trap Association, with many trophies demonstrating his accomplishments. Joshua submitted a senior portrait with his shotgun, unloaded, broken, and draped over his shoulder for the yearbook. The photo was refused because it had a firearm in it. It was an evil, nasty dangerous gun that might go off at any time, and we can't have that in our yearbook can we Headmaster Lee? Think of the children! Someone could get hurt!
Joshua’s father asked if he could be in the alternative sports section of the yearbook.
Fryeburg Academy's response was not with a gun, but a photo of Joshua with his trophies would be OK. Joshua submitted a new portrait taken with some of his trophies. Fryeburg Academy noted the large number small guns held by the plastic figures on the top of each trophy and declared the photo with those little bitty plastic representations of big bad guns to be too damned dangerous. Hell, one of them could go off at any time, sending a picture of an itty bitty plastic bullet right out of the yearbook pages and into someone's skull, making them a slobbering vegetable for life. Does Joshua Enos have any idea how dangerous this kind of thing is?From the Fryeburg Academy's website:
"To educate is to open minds, to create new worlds, and to bring ideas to life.Yeah, right. Daniel Webster would be ashamed.
That is the goal our professional and dedicated faculty strives to reach.
It is no secret that in life one must never stop learning. Life is full of new lessons, whether in physics, history or human behavior. Our faculty knows this, too. That's why the focus of our teaching revolves around building a desire in students to continuously ask questions. Through open discussions, hands-on experience, technologically advanced research tools, and ever-present and engaged faculty support, we challenge students to become creative, independent thinkers by providing them with the access to knowledge and the confidence to back up their beliefs."
To make your views known on this bullshit, contact the Fryeburg Academy via Headmaster Daniel G. Lee Jr, at (207) 935-2001, extension 116. If he is not taking his calls, you can email him at dlee@fryeburgacademy.org.
Snail mail is: Headmaster, Fryeburg Academy, 745 Main St., Fryeburg, ME 04037.
The yearbook advisor, Mrs. Kneeland is available at (207) 935-2001, extension 129.
Labels: Gun Bias
posted by Xavier at 6:50 AM
7 Comments:
The following was sent to Mr. Lee.
Has political correctness run amuck at your school or are you actually gun bigot? As a private establishment you have the right to choose what will and will not appear in your yearbook, but that you would deny a picture of someone that participates in a sport that is recognized world wide, even in countries that ban guns, is reprehensible. I hope you change your mind and allow this picture. Please remember that all of the original Olympic sports were based on feats that are combat based, and if you allow pictures that show your team's javelin, shot-put, or hammer throwers, you should allow Joshua's picture.
The fact that schools demonize guns and their owners make them all the more desirable to rebellious teens. Education is the answer, however, they are going about it the wrong way. Instead of teaching that guns are evil, they should be teaching responsible ownership and gun safety.
Brass
My son is a freshman at Fryegurg Academy this year and as his father, I am disappointed to hear this to say the least. You can count on me to let Mr. Lee know that there are some of us more than a little concerned about his lack of open mindedness regarding shooting sports.Perhaps I should invite him to come shooting with my son and I at the range located not 3 miles down the road from the school which my son and I frequent for after school activity.
I would love to write this schmuck but I'm so flabbergasted that I wouldn't know what to write.
~Monica
I work wth a guy who knows Lee well and has been a former school board member. It seems that the school made the decision to limit all the students choice of yearbook photos to keep the kids choices under control ; kinda like opening a can of worms if they let this boy have his gun in his picture, then why not another kid with his neck in a noose? etc. etc. The school is leaning towards a consevative approach; they even tightened up the dress code that was getting out of hand in previous years.Without knowing all the facts, it's tough to call bullshit on this. According to my friend and workmate, Lee is a hunter and definately not anti- gun. I on the otherhand am still skeptical and will find out the facts for myself from the adminsration office if I have to!
"...if they let this boy have his gun in his picture, then why not another kid with his neck in a noose?"
What the hell does that mean?
What does some kid posing for a school picture with his trap gun have to do with a picture of a kid with his neck in a noose? That is a plain stupid comment.
NOTHING at suggests the young man in the article is suicidal, does owning and shooting a gun have THAT much stigma now?
Your example makes no sense simply because one photo would be appropriate and the other would not. Eh Gad man! What has happen to our country that people have lost any semblance of common sense.
The truth is that schools are and will continue to be as politically correct as possible. I'm not saying that this is right, I'm just saying how things are.
-anonymous
So this is the infamous Joshua Enos,
I just want to say thanks for supporting me through the entire thing. I'm sorry to say that I didn't get the picture in the yearbook. I have joined the military now and am a full fledged active duty member. I just hope that the school doesn't get any more retarded than it already is. Well thanks again for supporting me.
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