not a kid, but a fully grown woman. she even thought it so hilarious that she posted this on her facebook
'It was disgraceful': Father's anger after daughter is pictured flashing middle finger at Arlington National Cemetery - and she gets to keep her job despite internet backlash Lindsey Stone posed for the picture in October at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery
Her father, Peter Stone, called the pose a 'total lapse of judgement'
Facebook page 'Fire Lindsey Stone' has amassed over 19k Likes
Competing page 'Hire Lindsey Stone' was created in support of the 30-year-old, only receiving 39 LikesThe father of Lindsey Stone, the woman who flashed her middle finger at Arlington National Cemetery and sparked an online backlash, has called his daughter's behavior 'disgraceful' and said the picture was a 'total lapse of judgment.'
Peter Stone insisted his daughter 'apologizes to everybody' for the obscene gesture, which the 30-year-old made at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in October, next to a sign at the military cemetery that asked for 'Silence and Respect.'
The Massachusetts woman incurred the online wrath of thousands and became the target of a Facebook campaign trying to get her fired, but as of yet she has not been sacked and only placed on unpaid leave from her job at a non-profit in Cape Cod.
Shocking: Lindsey Stone flashed the obscene gesture at Arlington National Cemetery, next to a sign that asked for respect Stone, who lives in Cape Cod, visited the sacred military cemetery in Arlington, Virginia in October on an outing with the non-profit organization where she works, LIFE organization.
LIFE, stands for Living Independently Forever, and is a community for adults with disabilities.
But an unidentified Facebook user came across the picture and decided to launch an effort to alert her employer to the outrageous behavior and has been gathering support to get the woman ousted from her job for her disrespect.
After the photo was widely disseminated, Stone's father, Peter, told a local news station on Tuesday that the photo of his daughter was 'disgraceful.'
'It was just a spur of the moment, total lapse of judgment. She wasn't reacting to the place; she was reacting to the sign and she apologizes to everybody,' he told WCVB-TV.
'It's not at all what she intended to put out there,' Peter Stone said.
Deeply saddened: Lindsey Stone has been placed on leave at LIFE, the community for disabled adults in Cape Cod, Mass., where she was employed
Disrespectful: Thousands of Facebook users have called for Lindsey Stone (appearing in December 2011 at the Special Olympics Jolly Jaunt for work) to be fired for her offensive pictureStone was among eight staff members that traveled with the group of 40 residents to the nation's capital for this trip. Photos from the organization's Facebook page show residents touring the White House and the Washington Monument on October 20.
At the military remembrance site, she posed for the offensive picture, that was taken by a coworker, Jamie Schuh, and then Stone uploaded the snap to her own Facebook page.
But it soon went viral and Facebook users were shocked to see the pose at a place meant to honor fallen heroes.
Soon a page was started to alert the wider web of Stone's action.
An unknown Facebook user, who is believed to be an Iraq War veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, created a page on the social networking site, 'Fire Lindsey Stone.'
The page, with the stated intent to 'only accept termination,' was started on Monday and has quickly garnered over 19,000 Likes.
Meanwhile by Wednesday, supporters of the Massachusetts woman came out and established a competing Facebook page, 'Hire Lindsey Stone.'
'Some of may have heard news that Lindsey Stone, a 30-year-old human being with friends and family and who likes kids and animals and works at a non-profit, has been targeted by a bunch of misdirected morons in a hate campaign to get her fired from her job,' the creator of the page supporting Stone wrote in a posting.
Work event: Stone (pictured in August in an unknown located) posed for the offensive picture when she accompanied 40 residents from the non-profit where she works to the military cemetery in October
Punishment: A Facebook page entitled 'Fire Lindsey Stone' has garnered over 6,000 Likes and Stone's employer said that Stone (right, in an undated photo in Times Square) has been placed on unpaid leave'This group is designed to get her a better job, and to show what irrational, ridiculous logic is being used to potentially ruin the career, and life, of a foolish girl, who made a mistake. Big deal.'
The Facebook page only attracted 39 Likes on Wednesday.
After the massive response, Stone's employer said that they were only made aware of the shocking post on November 19.
'The photo has since been removed from Facebook, and both employees have been placed on unpaid leave pending the results of an internal investigation,' according to a statement.
'This photograph in no way reflects the opinions or values of the LIFE organization, which holds our nation’s veterans in the highest regard. We are proud to have veterans serving on our staff and board of trustees, and we value their service'
'The men and women who have selflessly fought and sacrificed their lives to protect the rights and lives of Americans deserve our utmost respect and gratitude.'
'We are acutely aware that this photo has done a disservice to veterans and we are deeply saddened that it was taken and shared in a public medium,' the statement added.
Justified? Stone (pictured left: with her co-worker Jamie Schuh in April) said in a statement that she posed for the picture for her own amusement (pictured right: at a work holiday party in December 2011)Jim Godsil, the chief financial officer of LIFE, spoke to the local media about Stone's 'despicable behavior.'
'We have codes of conduct in terms of how we expect our employees to act, and this could potentially be in violation of that,' he said, hinting that she could possibly be terminated after an investigation.
Stone has issued a joint statement with Jamie Schuh, her 38-year-old director who took the photo, to apologize.
'We sincerely apologize for all the pain we have caused by posting the picture we took in Washington DC on Facebook. While posted on a public forum, the picture was intended only for our own amusement,' the pair said in a statement.
'We never meant any disrespect to any of the people nationwide who have served this country and defended our freedom so valiantly. It was meant merely as a visual pun, intending to depict the exact opposite of what the sign said, and had absolutely nothing to do with the location it was taken or the people represented there.'
'We never meant to cause any harm or disrespect to anyone, particularly our men and women in uniform. We realize it was in incredibly poor taste, and are deeply sorry for the offense we have caused.'
Apologies: The woman's father, Peter Stone, insisted that his daughter meant no disrespect 'We also sincerely apologize to LIFE, Inc. It is an amazing organization that provides invaluable services to adults with learning and developmental disabilities. We are beyond remorseful that our actions have caused them such undue public scrutiny. The disrespect implied by our picture has nothing at all to do with LIFE’s mission statement or values. We regret having caused any suffering to the staff members, residents, families and friends.'
'Again, we very sincerely apologize to everyone who took offense to the photo. We realize that it was an ignorant and distasteful thing for us to do, but we truly meant no harm. We are deeply sorry,' they added.
Read more:
Fire Lindsey Stone Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fire-Lindsey-Stone/303141669801170http://www.dailymail.co.uk/guy-daughter-pictured-flashing-middle-finger-Arlington-National-Cemetery--gets-job-despite-internet-backlash.html
