[Izzy]

Because I need your help, online petition style. What I've typed up below is some reasoning for why the pledge, in schools, is just entirely wrong. It's an edited version of what I'm handing my school administrators when I have enough signatures. So please, if you agree, sign the online petition. It takes two seconds.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/say-no-to-the-pledge/index.html

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As a student, I am led to believe that schools are institutions which exist to instill education and good moral conduct into their students, without swaying or impacting their political or religious affiliations. While the schools I attended, including Seminole, did an excellent job of maintaining a neutral atmosphere in regards to politics, it has come to my attention that some students are much less than satisfied with how the Pledge of Allegiance is administered. This has nothing to do with anti-American, anti-government, anti-justice-for-all, etc. feelings.Schools are meant to strive to be impartial on matters which can influence the opinions of their students. Therefore we feel that the mandatory Pledge of Allegiance means that the views of the government are being unfairly forced upon us. Certain aspects of life, such as beliefs and allegiances, should be determined within the household and with one's parents, not taught and practiced within schools. By all means, TEACH the pledge, its meaning, and its importance to American history/culture/society. However, demanding students actively participate (even respectfully declining, in essence, is still participation, just by presence) is in all respects, unconstitutional. Again, it is not the actual content of the pledge we take issue with, it's the fact that the school openly chooses one side. This is akin to the school defining itself as liberal or conservative, and results in children before they can comprehend the meaning of the pledge. It is unfair and quite unjustified. With all due respect, the pledge is inappropriate in schools in the same sense that instructional time set aside for coordinated group prayer is. Religious instruction is already deemed unsuitable, and we believe there is some commonality for the same reasons. For example, rather than setting class time aside for the pledge, students who wish to take the pledge can, for the twenty seconds it takes to say it, meet up before school much the same way the faith-based student group we have meets and prays in the mornings.By doing so, everyone is treated equitably, and those wishing to opt out no longer have to feel awkward about it because it will no longer be a classroom issue.

[Guest]

I agree completely with the prospect of removing the pledge. Signed

[Guest]

Also, I would rather say thanks for being able to live in a nation that is in the top 20 highest standard of living in the world, and say thanks for having a good life, every day. But there's no practical point in me standing up and vocalizing... I'm always grateful. =) So yeah, thanks > straight up pledge (but not everybody might be thankful... like, the long-term unemployed =( )

[peace*out]

im america is a freee place, than why are we supposed to blindly recite the pledge day after day. The pilgrims came over for religious freedom. So if a muslim wants to go to school, without haveing to say the pledge everyday, why should he have to complain to a teacher, and possibly embarrass himself with all the "un-patriotic" attitude? i "" that because its not - in fact, its almost the opposite. why? why should you live in a free country if your not free to decide if saying a memorized script is right for you?

I respect the country. in terms of respectng it, and being patriotic and such, i consider myself doing my share. i volenteer in my town, quite often too. my family helps give out thanksgiving baskets, christmas baskets, gives to the food pantry, and more. i do community service often, and pick up trash. i recycle.

but i believe one of the best things about our country is the freedom within. and that includes religious freedom.

[Guest]

A symbolically similar sort of situation:

Texas v. Johnson

[Izzy]

^Funnily enough, this was my current event for World Religions today. As much as I hate everything the Phelps family stands for, I'm going to have to side with them this time.

I really don't see how states can decide that something like the above should be illegal. It's a f**king flag, get over it. If you do nothing about the people outside of your country burning your flags, why should inside of the country be different? Out of sight, out of mind? Banning flag desecration doesn't change anyone's feelings, nor does burning a flag make the country worse. If someone is completely against a country, they can speak it in other ways that doesn't involve flag desecration, so wtf is the point? Similar to what people said about the pledge: It doesn't change anyone's opinion on anything, so it's pointless recitation and a complete waste of time, money, and resources.