One of the men reportedly zapped by 59-year-old Larry McKelvey's stun gun at last Sunday's Jets game claims that McKelvey "jabbered" during the moment of silence for 9/11 victims, and badmouthed George W. Bush, in addition to sitting during the national anthem. "It was the most disrespectful thing I have ever seen," 46-year-old Ian Cummings told the Daily News. McKelvey allegedly used his stun gun (not to ever be confused with the trademarked name of a completely DIFFERENT type of weapon that pumps electrical current into human bodies) to shock Cummings, a former Marine and a third man, before being subdued by the crowd. more ›

It appears the Taser-fueled brawl at yesterday's Jets game was sparked by a perceived lack of patriotism on behalf of the man who was ultimately arrested. Leroy McKelvey of South Carolina was charged with aggravated assault and weapons possession, and was released on $22,500 bail today, the Cliffview Pilot reports. According to one police source, static started after a Marine noticed that McKelvey and his friends did not stand or remove their hats during the pre-game enforced nationalism moment. And on 9/11 Day, too! :( more ›

Years and years ago, a number of city and state officials gathered together to figure out what kind of building should be the centerpiece of World Trade Center redevelopment. Freedom Tower, at 1776 feet (including spire and antennae), was unveiled in December 2003, only for the Daniel Libeskind-design to be scrapped for one by Skidmore Owings & Merrill's David Childs. But that revised design remained a patriotic 1776 feet, even if officials say the building should be called "One World Trade Center." Now, it looks like the tower will be actually even more patriotic than previously thought. more ›

We briefly noted yesterday that a 23-year-old business student at NYU made over $100,000 in two days selling t-shirts that trumpeted the death of Osama Bin Laden. But now CBS is reporting that the budding entrepreneur, Maurice Harary, had a change of heart, and is refunding all of the proceeds: "Celebrating over the death of someone, whoever it is, is evil in my eyes." No word on whether the newly-enlightened Harary plans to confiscate every Che Guevara shirt at NYU. more ›

Last month little Brianna Fischer of Cobble Hill was watching a television program in which children recited the Pledge of Allegiance in a classroom. What was this mysterious jingoistic incantation, Brianna asked her parents, who were shocked to learn that their 8-year-old daughter was not required to swear an oath to the flag every morning at PS 29. Empire State law requires students from Plattsburgh to Dunkirk to declare their allegiance daily, and so Brianna's parents marched right down to PS 29 to set that hippie principal straight. more ›

You'll recall that the city recently agreed to pay $22,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the NYCLU on behalf of a man who says cops ejected him from Yankee Stadium last summer when he tried to use the bathroom during "God Bless America" in the seventh inning stretch. And the Yankees, as part of the settlement, affirmed that there was no policy restricting fans’ movements. So the Times checked in on Friday night's Yankee game and found that although most fans stayed in their seats during the song, one Rich Popaduke defiantly proceeded to the men's room, declaring, "Freedom is what makes us American!" Why do sports fans with full bladders hate America? A security guard, Nicole Farrell from East New York, opined, "Everybody has free choice. You cannot interfere with that." But at least one fan is here to remind us the freedom to pee freely isn't free; Sue Coster, whose brother is a Gulf war veteran, vowed retribution against anyone exiting during God Bless America: "If they tried to do that in my aisle, I would have stuck out my leg." more ›