Mark Dice has been an active member in the 9/11 Truth Movement, taken on the Illuminati, protested the Iraq War and called President George W. Bush "one of the most dangerous terrorists alive today."
Now Dice is taking on the Duke Blue Devil.
Last week, Dice-leader of a Christian group he calls The Resistance-posted a press release on his Web site calling for Duke to get rid of its mascot of 85 years. Dice said the Blue Devil is a satanic reference and is therefore offensive to the Christian community.
"You wouldn't call a team 'The Jihaddists,' or 'al Qaeda,'" said Dice, whose group describes itself as a Christian movement dedicated to resisting evil.
Although Dice resides in San Diego and said he has no connection to Duke, he said he thought a large number of students, especially Christians, would agree with him.
Religiously active or not, however, most students disagreed.
"It's a little awkward cheering 'Go Devils, Go!' at the basketball games, but most people understand [its original context]," said senior Alex Gorham, a member of Campus Crusade for Christ. "And from that perspective it's appropriate."
Many students said they see the Blue Devil as being an important part of Duke culture.
"You have to see it for what it stands for, not for what it is.... People believe in the Blue Devil," said Ankit Bhargava, a second-year graduate student in engineering management.
Others pointed to the historic, rather than religious, origins of the Blue Devil.
Rev. John McDonagh, associate director and campus minister of Duke's Newman Catholic Student Center, said the Blue Devil should be thought of for its original reference, not in a religious context.
The Blue Devils were a group of French soldiers who won their fame in 1915 fighting in the Alps during World War I, according to the University Archives. In 1923, the nickname "Blue Devils" was first endorsed at Duke by The Chronicle.
Students chose the name because they were inspired by the way the soldiers liberated people, McDonagh said.
Flynn Cratty, Trinity '04 and director of College Ministry at the First Baptist Church of Durham, said he believed he was one of the few alumni who would support a new mascot.
"It is making light of a spiritual reality, but we've never been up in arms about it," he said.
The Blue Devil has been "one of the most recognized and respected college mascots for the past 80 years," Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, said in a statement. "We're confident that this is not an issue for the vast and wide Duke community, and the Blue Devil will continue to strike fear in the hearts of our opponents for years to come."
Dice said he is in favor of free speech-he has called for legal action against Duke. He added, however, that the group lacks the resources to pursue a lawsuit.
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