Amputee soldier denied access to club

[4dsc]

http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4788998/23165810.html

How sad!!

<b>Abby Jackson, wife of Spc. Robert "B.J." Jackson, 22, who lost his legs in an explosion last August while serving with the Iowa Army National Guard in Iraq, says her husband was denied access to an upscale nightclub in Clive on Friday night because his shoes weren't fancy enough.

"Both of us told (an employee) that those were the only shoes he can wear with his prosthetic legs," Abby Jackson said Saturday. "I even told them he lost them in Iraq."

But Tom Baldwin, owner of Crush, 2249 N.W. 86th St., says the couple did not explain to his bouncers that Jackson has to wear his tennis shoes with his prosthetic legs. The club, which calls itself a "casually swank joint," prohibits tennis shoes and hooded sweat shirts, Baldwin said.

"We make exceptions for people all the time," Baldwin said. "There's no reason why we would deny entry to someone with prosthetic legs."

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. They should sue

I am not kidding

[Darth_Kitten]

2. Duh, I guess the bouncers didn't quite git it......

:nuke: Duh, I don't CARE if you lost your best shoes in Irack, we don't make exceptions for noone!!

duh. :eyes:

[Karenina]

10. This tells me two things...

1. Your "average" American does not realize HOW MANY young citizens who enlisted to "protect" the Homeland are returning with their limbs blown off.

2. This is just the tip of the iceberg of what kind of "Welcome Home Alive" they will receive.

[DemoTex]

12. Karenina ....

The war ain't real. The war ain't there. The coffins ain't there. The body bags ain't there. The PM-News coverage is scant, at best. Life goes on and is, indeed, good, in the US-of-fucking-A. We continue to consume oil at a historic rate. It is, as we said in 2002, blood-for-oil. Worse, it is anonymous, un-celebrated, blood-for-oil.

God-Almighty, I love my country ... but dear Jesus I hate my government. Especially George W. Bu$h. Motherfucker.

[symbolman]

24. Hey Demotex

Seen the Bush in 30 seconds commercial contest? We've got ARMY OF ONE entered there and it's come in at one of the top 15 out of over 1000 entries -- there are a few military commercials..

thought you'd like to know,

here's the url http://www.bushin30seconds.org

I'm a Vet too, I hear you.

[Roon]

16. The nicer the clubs..

the worse the bouncers behave. I think it might have something to do with the lack of brawling their job title promised. So they will jump on any little thing just to stir up some action for themselves.

[0007]

17. Great cat photos!

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

3. You see this...

Faux fashion elitism, in clubs, a whole lot more out in the hinterlands than you do in NYC or LA. I guess they figure it adds a little je ne c'est quoi to their clubs. Clubs that generally bring new meaning to the word "average".

There is a reason why touring rock barbarians go to strip joints: because the clubs suck so bad. At least, in strip joints, you know what you are paying for. A dollar at a time. ;-)

[markses]

23. I always understood the No seaks and hoodies rule

to be an anti-gang provision.

Of course, it became ridiculous in the early 1990's in NYC when all the club kiddies, sick of getting rejected at the awful Paladium, started wearing deliberately out of style pumas and cheap hoodies, which of course then became a club fashion itself. However, in the American "heartland," the hoods are still rockin' they hoodies, and the "clubs" (these clubs, with names like "Rumors" and "Whispers" are - to this New Yorker - of course embarrassing when put next to Manhattan clubs, but there you go) are still intent on keeping them out with these absurd, late-80's provisions. Posing, of course, as "dress codes" to keep it upscale.

My wife is of the opinion that the vast majority of the US is stuck on 1987, fashion-wise. Having lived in Central PA, Rural Upstate NY, and having driven across country 3 times, I unfortunately tend to agree. (Which makes me an elitist NY snob, no doubt, but whatever, yo.);-)

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

4. Of course the owner said that

I wouldn't be surprised if his place was boycotted after that bad publicity. He'd better make up to the couple really really fast.

[JasonDeter]

5. They should just accept his apology and move on.

I wouldn't be so quick to attribute malice to someone without hearing all the facts.

[DulceDecorum]

6. Ann Coulter said:

To a disabled Vietnam vet: "People like you caused us to lose that war."---MSNBC

[are_we_united_yet]

11. Ann Coulter is

a worthless collection of molecules.

[truthisfreedom]

13. oh, no, she's still recyclable. her hair alone has got to be worth $20.

and think of all the veteran burn victims that could use skin grafts.

[Wink]

20. 1/2 a person.....maybe.

She ain't got enough skin to skin graft my elbow.

[are_we_united_yet]

22. One has to think

Being a burn victim is an intense amount physical and psychological trauma. But getting a graft from AC might actually kill the patient.

[acmavm]

7. Where in the world is Clive, Iowa?

.

[frylock]

8. clive is renowned for it's nitelife..

Paris, NYC, San Frandisco, Clive, Hollywood..

[Skittles]

9. and they want to be in this club - why?

they should tell the club to shove it and then sue them for terminal stupidity.

[bluestateguy]

14. Despicable anti-American behavior

These assholes (the club owners and bouncers) can wave all the flags they want and yak about "supporting the troops", but actions speak louder than words, and their actions reveal that they hate America.

[truthisfreedom]

15. popular hot-spot becomes unpopular hate-spot.

oops.

[okieinpain]

18. oh just tell him to stop using the war as a crutch. geez doesn't

he know that repugs don't care about stuff like that. unless it's a photo op or some bias ass history lesson for the repug children. other than that repug's could give a flying f*** about his problems.

sorry but when I see these kind of stories I get really pissed off, because it won't get any traction unless it makes bushco look bad.

[durutti]

19. The liberal elite, at it again!

n/t

[4dsc]

21. Nightclub owner offers apology

http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c2229999/23170365.html

Bad press is not good for bar owners..

The owner of a Clive nightclub said Sunday that he wants to apologize to the double-amputee soldier who says he was refused admittance into the club over the weekend.

Iowa National Guard Spc. Robert "B.J." Jackson and his wife, Abby, said Saturday they were barred from Crush nightclub because the soldier was wearing tennis shoes. Robert Jackson had both legs amputated below the knees after an ambush in Iraq, and the shoes fit his prosthetics.

"I would like the chance to meet the Jacksons and resolve this issue, including a personal apology about this misunderstanding from me," Crush owner Tom Baldwin said in a letter sent to the Iowa National Guard; U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin; attorney Roxanne Conlin, a Des Moines lawyer who said the issue is worthy of a discrimination suit; and the city of Clive.

Baldwin was adamant that the Jacksons did not explain to the bouncers that Jackson was an amputee. He said the couple left abruptly when they were told Jackson could not wear tennis shoes into the club.

The Jacksons and a friend said Saturday that Jackson showed the bouncers his prosthetic legs.

[reticulatus]

25. 1,200 amputees so far

Saw a documentary on the French television channel TF1 yesterday. They had interviews with patients and staff at the Ramstein military hospital in Germany. The doctor said that the body armor that the soldiers wear in Iraq protects their vital organs, so they mainly see injuries to the extremities. He said that so far they have dealt with 1,200 amputees. In serious cases, mainly head injuries, where it looks as though the patient will not pull through, they fly them back home so that they can die with their family.