Honor for National Socialists (Nazis) called mistake

AP ^ | July 16, 2005 | Anonymous

[w6ai5q37b]

Cadillac recognizes group for helping in city park cleanup.

CADILLAC, Mich. (AP) -- A civil rights group is seeking an explanation after city officials gave a certificate of appreciation to the self-described America's Nazi Party.

City officials say the certificate presented to the National Socialist Movement at a citywide park cleanup in May was an innocent mistake.

"We certainly do not endorse the types of things that this organization stands for," City Manager Peter Stalker told the Traverse City Record-Eagle for a Thursday story.

A local chapter of the National Socialist Movement posted the certificate on a Web site, along with pictures of its participation in the May 7 cleanup. Pictures on the group's Web site showed baldheaded members wearing T-shirts with swastikas.

"I don't understand why it's so offensive for us to get together in a community cleanup," said Kevin Clements, director of the Michigan chapter of the National Socialist Movement. "That's to let people know, contrary to what the (Anti-Defamation League) says about us, we're not a violent gang of thugs."

City officials say a city employee didn't realize who the group was when she made out a certificate to the National Socialist Movement signed by Cadillac Mayor Ronald Blanchard.

Betsy Kellman, regional director for the Anti-Defamation League in Michigan, protested to the city and has offered it a free anti-bias education program.

"We wrote them a letter, we were very disappointed, and we told them in no uncertain terms that we thought it was a little bit outrageous," Kellman said.

Dale Walker, the city's finance director, said no apology is necessary because it was an innocent mistake.

"They wanted us to retract the certificate and say we're sorry and all that stuff, and we said, 'Hey, they're a volunteer group, (it was an) honest mistake,"' Walker said.

[w6ai5q37b]

[mondonico]

City employees would say "oh..."socialist"...that must be good...give them a certificate".

[Mark was here]

The only difference between this group and the NAACP is the color of their arm bands.

[Snapping Turtle]

I would love to see Bennett forced to retract his award to our local "peace" group, with an official statement in the local paper stating his mistaken logic.

[Sloth]

The city probably thought they were just regular socialists.

[tet68]

City officials say a city employee didn't realize who the group was when she made out a certificate to the National Socialist Movement signed by Cadillac Mayor Ronald Blanchard.

She thought they were like communists or democrats,
you know, it's a mistake anyone could make.

[festus]

Heard inside the city council chambers......

"Well it could have been worse. They could have been republicans....."

[Mark was here]

and arms.

Could be, but they are all socialist.

[Zuben Elgenubi]

"A local chapter of the National Socialist Movement posted the certificate on a Web site, along with pictures of its participation in the May 7 cleanup."

These Nazi groups have to be completely infiltrated with FBI, BATF, State and local policemen monitoring the nuts. There's probably 8 cops for every 10 members.

Based upon this assumption, I say we congratulate the police on a job well done and let them keep the certificate.

[Still Thinking]

Hoist by their own petard, I love it! If they're for all the other forms of socialists and socialism we see around us today, they'd be hypocrites if they DIDN'T give the Nazis a commendation.