In the days of the Soviet empire, peaceniks opposed American military preparedness. They are just America haters.
"Days before the 10th anniversary of 9/11 a leader from a group in Massachusetts is calling on public schools in one town to ban students from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, saying it has no educational value and the pressure it places on children to participate makes his “skin crawl,”
Martin Rosenthal, the co-chair of Brookline Political Action for Peace, or Brookline Pax, told the paper the pledge puts “kids in an uncomfortable situation” and doesn’t belong in schools.
The pledge is recited once a week in Brookline public schools. It is said during morning announcements and children are afforded the opportunity to not participate.
Christie Coombs, a mother whose husband died on American Airlines Flight 11 during the attacks of Sept. 11, told The Boston Herald that the idea makes her “sick to her stomach.” "America has been through a lot with the bad economy and soldiers dying in Afghanistan on a weekly basis, but we’ve pulled back together. A majority of Americans are proud to pay tribute to the flag,” she told the Herald.
Stone said she doesn’t anticipate the school committee reconsidering its current policy, The Globe reported.
Source
13 comments:
The purpose of the pledge is to install patriotism so it only lacks educational value to those who deem patriotism to be of no value.
This is just one more assault on the culture of unity. Without a shared cultural heritage, a nation ceases to exist.
And if you think Russia, or China, or any other authoritarian regime in the world thinks the way these "internationalists" do, then you really need to have your head examined.
Yes, authoritarian and communist countries have typically required their children to sing or declare allegiance to the state. That kind of patriotism is unhealthy, especially the regimentation of children.
But leftist indoctrination in the school system is not unhealthy?
Notice how it seems that whenever we hear from these anti-American leftists, it's always a jew?
Of course the people trying to remove the pledge never mention that fact that its not a requirement and the children are not forced to recite it. So as it is now, the kids who dont want to say the pledge dont say it.. This change will only stop the kids that actually DO want to say the pledge.. I always thought liberal were "pro-choice".. I guess its that way unless you choose to want to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Founding Fathers didn't need a pledge, and neither did the country for over 100 years. I said the Pledge every day from 1st through 12th grades, and so did everyone else in every class. Nobody felt that they were put in an "uncomfortable situation" - at least they never said so. I was patriotic enough, and still am, I think. But I don't think it had any thing to do with the Pledge. There was NASA and the Apollo program landing a man on the moon. I was too young and insulated to understand the Viet Nam war. The Regan revolution and the space shuttle had me feeling pretty patriotic my final year of high school.
But I never really understood why we had to say the Pledge every day. If was ever explained, I was too young with a head full of mush to understand. And I think that's the point - why are we having kids recite a loyalty oath?
Kids are too young to really understand what they are saying, and by the time they are older, it is rote and habit. You just say it because you always have. You are indoctrinated. Stepping back and looking at it, it reminds me of Hitler Youth or the Soviet Young Pioneers.
There is a place for a Pledge of Allegiance or loyalty oath, but I think it is for adults, particularly in government and the military, but not for kids in school.
And let's not forget - Dissent is Patriotic!
-L
I also query the value of a rote statement of commitment taken by children who experience pressure to conform.
It also sounds like North Korea to me.
I also query the point of pledging allegiance to a flag or the republic for which it stands. I would rather, if there is to be a pledge, see the pledge to the constitution and the values it enshrines and to the people and their liberties.
Yes. I think the main point is that the pledge be voluntary
I was very religious in my teens and refused to say the Australian equivalent of the pledge or to salute the flag. Loyalty to the State was not "Caesar's" right in my view at the time
The headmaster did have a chat with me about it but wisely left it at that. He knew he couldn't argue with religion.
I haven't changed much either. As a former member of the Australian armed forces, I am quite happy to salute the flag and sing "God save the Queen" but I think I would jib at anything like the American pledge of allegiance. I am profoundly glad to be an Australian but I don't feel I owe any loyalty to the State.
If the schools would actually teach American History, and the ideals and principals upon which this country was founded, then perhaps a pledge would not be viewed as such a "necessary" cultural indoctrination method. If teachers would concentrate on the almost unique nature of the First Amendment, the philosophy of responsible citizenship, and the necessity of military might to defend it all, then I would agree, a pledge would be completely unnecessary, and seen for the knee jerk reaction it was to world political forces of its day.
Unfortunately, the schools are so busy teaching tolerance, diversity, internationalism, and that "people are the same" everywhere. that things like history and civics are no longer considered relevant. In such an educational environment, a "rote" pledge may be the only exposure to the true ideals of this country that a student gets!!!
They want to replace it with AGE OF AQUARIUS becuase their a bunch of blabering stupid nincompoops
Simply put, the Left, who promotes these anti-patriotic moves are simply following in the footsteps of a President who has forever tarnished the face of the presidency. He dresses casually when it's not appropriate, he taked photo ops that degrade the office, he apologizes for the United States to foreign leaders, and bows to foreign dignitaries.
He is a role model who no longer portrays the stately dignity that once led this country.
@anon 6:48
And I suppose you always wear a coat, tie, hat, and shined shoes, and you always tip your hat to the ladies? If you do, then you must be over 100 years old. The president is just a person - not a monarch, or a god. I tend to ignore B.O. as much as possible, but I'm sure he dresses up for state occasions, even if he hangs out with thugs in his private life.
And don't forget this pledge stuff is all a lefty idea to begin with, written by socialists. The idea of Americal is that the government is supposed to be a servent of the people. Only a socialist would come up with this crap about the lowly citizen must proclaim his allegiance to the all powerful government.
That isn't to say that a citizen doesn't have duties to society. And you can certainly be patriotic about the country you live in. One of the main reasons to be patriotic about living in the U.S. was that you had liberty, and freedom from tyranny, with a very small, and limited government.
In America, I don't think the people owe the government anything, other than to support it in its efforts to support the society. Actually, it's just the opposite. And that is why government employees must swear an oath to protect and defend the Constitution. Of course, they routinely ignore it, which is treason.
Don't bow down to the government; that is a lefty, big-statist idea. Instead, support your country, your society, your way of life, and defend it with your life from an over-reaching, over-powerful, police-state government.
-L
[sarc] Yeah, they didn't want to remove the pledge until there was a black president. Racists!
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