Mike's "letter to the editor" appeared in Las Vegas Weekly on Sept 4th 2003. It was sent to the Review-Journal but they didn't have the balls to run it.
Don’t Fear the Cross
It seems that, in response to a youth gang known as the 311 Boyz and their brutal beatings of innocent victims, Centennial High School officials have banned students from stickers, apparel and such bearing the iron cross symbol. Apparently the Boyz were using the cross as their gang symbol. As we all know, the iron cross, typically with a swastika imposed on the center, was a common Nazi symbol. Rumor has it that the Boyz are a racist gang as well. School officials contend, according to the Review-Journal, that they instituted the ban to keep students from being targeted and to avoid any disruptions in school ... all admirable intentions, though I believe they're missing the forest for the tree. Let me make a few points here...
First, the iron cross dates back to at least the12th century and has long been a symbol of Christianity (longer than it has been deemed a symbol of hate by some). Numerous order of clergy, nuns and Christian hospitals since medieval times have used the symbol, or some variation of it, on flags, banners, clothing, seals and even coins. A predecessor of the iron cross, known as the Maltese Cross, originated during the Crusades, where a group of warrior clergymen, the Knights of St. John, fought fires on the battlefield—our first firefighters. The men were awarded a medal bearing the cross. Every firefighting organization in the world today uses some variation of this symbol as their crest.
The iron cross was also used during the Napoleonic Wars and became a widely recognized military symbol. The cross is still used today by the German armed forces on medals and aircraft. Even our own Veterans Administration uses the symbol to mark the headstones of confederate soldiers. Needless to say, there is a rich and varied heritage behind the cross, despite its unfortunate use by the Nazi Party. To be ignorant of the history and only see what suits your purposes is a disgrace. I would hope for better than this from the educated officials of one of our area high schools. Second, the symbol today is widely used in the business and fashion industry. It’s not some clandestine, dark and evil insignia. Quite the contrary, it is a popular and easily recognizable form. Companies such as No Fear, Independent, West Coast Choppers, Third Rail, RXS Clothing and countless others use the symbol on their products.
The point I'm trying to make here is that the cross is not the problem. Those Boyz and their parents’ lack of discipline and caring for their kids are the problem. The cross is whatever you make it. You want to see Christianity and noble causes in the cross? By all means, do so. You want to see racism and hatred? Go ahead. But realize that the cross didn’t make those kids bad. They were bad to begin with, and would have found some other symbol to sport even if there was no Cross. What if they were using the rising-sun symbol? Do we ban all Ralph Macchio flicks ’cause he wore it on his bandana in The Karate Kid? I can think of better reasons to boycott Ralph Macchio.
Let’s get real here, people; the ban came too late in the game to do any good. It was a kneejerk reaction. To ban the students from wearing or displaying anything with the cross is severely negligent behavior. But not quite as bad as the parents who neglected to instill some common decency in their kids and keep tabs on their late-night activities.
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