Talk:Francis Bellamy

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[edit] The Historian Rex Curry's criticisms

There are some regular writers on Wikipedia who knowingly engage in personal attacks and deletions (even of links) of anyone who explains the connection between Edward Bellamy and his cousin Francis Bellamy (author of the pledge of allegiance) and National Socialism. Some of the worst falsifiers on Wikipedia are Stormie, Lupo, and Matt Crypto. They spam screeds about their lies all over the place on Wikipedia and they have been warned. They were challenged to respond to the facts that they suppressed or to concede those fact, and they each conceded that the facts that they suppress are correct and that they delete those facts because they do not want Wikipedia readers to know the truth. They constantly spam their own point of view in their diatribes in which they try to cover up for Nazism. It is behavior that breaks Wikipedia's rules. What kind of people cover-up for Nazis and that horrid ideology?

<page or two of screed snipped>

So the key insight the anon offers us is that, several decades after Bellamy wrote the pledge, the Nazis adopted a form of salute similar to one that was used in the U.S. in Bellamy's time. The whole anonymous diatribe is sourced with multiple references to a single website, which also chastises Bellamy and his cousin "because they loved the War of Northern Aggression against southern independence" (what most people call the American Civil War). And the refusal to rewrite several articles in line with these views is proof positive of a cover-up. JamesMLane 11:08, 10 July 2005 (UTC)

JamesMLane's whole diatribe (above) has no sources at all, and he criticizes a website that shows actual historic photographs and references to original sources, including Francis Bellamy and Edward Bellamy, which JamesMLane covers up. In fact JamesMLane shows that he knows that Rex Curry is correct, and that is because Lane does not actually dispute the points made, because he cannot. JamesMLane also shows he knows almost nothing about the Bellamys, as Lane pretends that the topic only relates to a similar gesture. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Rexcurrydotnet (talk • contribs) . 07:07, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

Rex Curry is a loon who pops up every now and then to add links to his rant website to a small range of articles, and then accuse editors who revert his garbage of being apologists for some vast conspiracy. I'm not American and had never even heard of Francis Bellamy until I spotted this link-adding on recent changes and reverted it, but apparently that makes me some sort of worshipper of Bellamy and all his evil deeds. —Stormie 12:11, July 10, 2005 (UTC)

Stormie is a loon who pops up every now and then to add his un-sourced comments to a small range of articles, and then accuse the historican Rex Curry who points out Stormie's garbage of the fact that Stormie is covering up for Nazism. Stormie then tries to hide the fact that he knows that Rex Curry is correct because Stormie never disputes a single fact mentioned, because Stormie cannot, and Stormie blabbers about "some vast conspiracy" in his effort to hide his own ignorance. Stormie admits his ignorance when he says that he "never even heard of Francis Bellamy until I spotted this link-adding on recent changes." Stormie then shows his venal misbehavior by confessing that he reverted the article, and blabbers about how "it but apparently that makes Stormie some sort of worshipper of Bellamy and all his evil deeds." —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Rexcurrydotnet (talk • contribs) . 07:07, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

I had an email exchange with Rex Curry (the, er, self-proclaimed "familiar voice of freedom for millions"), asking him to stop spamming Wikipedia and my blog. (He's also started spamming blogs that my blog links to, despite the fact they aren't Wikipedians. Nice.) Anyway, his only response was to take my emails and -- here's the genius part -- replace his name with my own, similar to his reply to Stormie above. I suppose Rex thinks that when he does this, he's done something very clever. Sadly, it's actually a debating style much favoured by schoolchildren: repeat back what someone's said to you in a mocking, "nah-nee-nah" voice. Amusing, though, to see grown-ups do it. — Matt Crypto 10:35, 25 November 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Bellamy and NEA?

Current text: "The Pledge was published in the September 8, 1892, issue of the magazine, and immediately put to use in the campaign. Bellamy used his position as the chairman of the state superintendents of education committee of the National Education Association to promote its use. As its chairman, he was responsible for the program to celebrate Columbus Day that year. He structured the program around a flag raising ceremony and his pledge."

My past readings on the history of the Pledge show that Bellamy was not affiliated with the National Education Association (NEA) in any way. In To the Flag: The Unlikely History of the Pledge of Allegiance (2005), Richard Ellis writes that the idea for holding a National Columbian Public School Celebration was *Upham's*, and "Ford agreed to have the Youth's Companion spearhead the planning and promotion of the celebration and appointed the newcomer Bellamy to head the effort." It was at this point that Bellamy went to speak to "a national meeting of school superintendents" to promote the celebration; the convention loved the idea and "selected a committee of leading educators to implement the program, including the immediate past president of the National Education Association. Bellamy, as the representative of the Youth's Companion, was selected as the chair. Having received the official blessing of educators, Bellamy now had the task of spreading the word across the nation and of designing an official program for schools to follow on the day of national celebration." That was in February 1892, and he later delivered a speech to the NEA on July 15, 1892 to promote the Columbus Day Celebration, which means that it had not yet been endorsed by the NEA. Bellamy wrote the Pledge later that summer and it was the last piece of the official program to be written, meaning that contrary to what this Wikipedia article is saying, Bellamy could not have "used his position as the chairman of the state superintendents of education committee of the National Education Association to promote its [the Pledge's] use."

For these reasons, I believe that the paragraph above from the current revision of this article is highly inaccurate and should be revised. I would appreciate some ideas on this issue. --Chopsticks 03:36, August 13, 2005 (UTC)