wwwjim wrote:I think it is important to have pride in your country, no matter what country that is. To me the pledge is simply a reminder to the students that they are Americans.
taking pride in your country and pledge to a flag to reinforce your nationality doesn't seem to be helping to bring human kind together in peace but separating humankind all together. Many racist acts happen cause of this. Patrinism is a dangerous concept since it has brought many war upon humankind and many innocent souls have died to embrace this way of live thinking that God was really blessing them. Think of it this way American prays to God for a blessing to win....Irak prays to God for blessing to win.....Who do you think God will bless? Aren't they both out to kill innocent people? Most than likely God will not bless either country. I rather pledge my allengance to the Kingdom of God who can bring peace and unity..... That's my take on that.
Loomis wrote:
As for the flag, I would like to quote the late great Bill Hicks: "Hey, buddy! My daddy died for that flag! Really? I bought mine. They sell 'em in K-Mart..."
That's was funny Loomis! The garbage man took mine!
I think it is good to say the pledge in school.... after all.... if you say the pledge there should be no problem with saying it because you are a US citizen...... right????????
cittycatie wrote:I think it is good to say the pledge in school.... after all.... if you say the pledge there should be no problem with saying it because you are a US citizen...... right????????
catie
It's not about been a US citizen, It's about a person's believes. Alot of people don't feel comfortable with pledging their allegiance to a flag and it should be optional in schools for whom ever wants to take part in this ritual. This is a free country so they say.......
MickeyMouseboy wrote:Alot of people don't feel comfortable with pledging their allegiance to a flag and it should be optional in schools for whom ever wants to take part in this ritual. This is a free country so they say.......
I agree with you that it should be optional -- I just get upset when people talk about BANNING the pledge. Forcing someone to say the pledge is an attack on free speech from the right. Forcing someone NOT to say the pledge is an attack on free speech from the left.
MickeyMouseboy wrote:Alot of people don't feel comfortable with pledging their allegiance to a flag and it should be optional in schools for whom ever wants to take part in this ritual. This is a free country so they say.......
I agree with you that it should be optional -- I just get upset when people talk about BANNING the pledge. Forcing someone to say the pledge is an attack on free speech from the right. Forcing someone NOT to say the pledge is an attack on free speech from the left.
that's why we should not have it in schools at all. let specific individuals pledge the flag in their own time or whoever want to pledge to the flag let them have a place to do so.
"PROTESTERS prayed outside the US Supreme Court yesterday as an atheist doctor argued inside the court that his daughter should not be exposed to the words "under God" during her school's daily Pledge of Allegiance to the US flag."
Something that makes it even more interesting (from Time magazine) :
It was while waiting in line to buy soap at a grocery store that Newdow, a lifelong atheist born in the Bronx, began his linguistic crusade. Noticing that all his coins and notes had "in God we Trust" written on them, he decided to use his University of Michigan legal training to sue the government for removal of the phrase. After a bit of research, Newdow decided it would be easier to protest the pledge of allegiance by claiming he didn’t want his daughter to say "under God," even though she wasn’t in school at the time. He lost while living in Florida, moved to California and sued the local school board with no prior warning.
Not only was his daughter not in school when Michael Newdow began his crusade, he lost his shared custody of her years ago after the court determined that he had repeatedly endangered her safety. His daughter is now 9 and she says that she has never had any objection to saying the pledge or "under God" because she is an American and a Christian.
Michael Newdow has several pending lawsuits including a fight against a California law which required him to pay the legal fees from the custody battle over his daughter.
I'm going to tell you what I said in reply to an article in my school newspaper. It doesnt matter if something religious like "under god" is involved, I believed it was very wrong of those who done it back in the 1950s to change the Pledge in the first place.
Francis Bellamy (I know he wrote it, cuz my elementary school was named after him) must be rolling around in his grave and pissed that someone would mess up such a memorable text. I'm sure he avoided putting something like Under God in the Pledge for a reason and now we have this stupid mess to clean because of the ignorant people who decided to add "Under God" when it was never part of the original Pledge.
