10-year-old doesn't say pledge at school for gay rights

[Alyrium Denryle]

I could not resist.

Alright. The irony in some of these comments is thick and disgusting. Since when does not reciting the pledge mean that someone is spitting in the face of veterans? Since when does exercising free speech by lawfully protesting an injustice perceived within our government invalidate that person's freedom? Our soldiers in principle (if not in practice lately, but that is not their fault, it is ours) go into battle to defend the very right you are calling this child an unpatriotic monster for exercising. If anyone is dishonoring them it is those of you who are wrapping yourselves in the flag and calling this ten year old child a monster, using the bodies of our soldiers as shields to deflect attention away from the argument he is making with his lawful (guaranteed by the first amendment) and very patriotic (for the same reason) form of protest. Fundamentally the proposition under contention is this:

The United States is not a theocracy and gay people are guaranteed certain rights under the 14th amendment to the constitution. One of these is equal protection under the law. Regardless of religious sentiments the law must in order to be consistent with the constitution recognize this and grand gay people their civil rights.

The pledge of allegiance has the following words: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Keeping out the fact that the Under God part was added in 1954 to distance us from supposedly godless communism because after all, the united states is not a theocracy (Evidenced by: the establishment clause of the 1st amendment, the Detached Memorandum written by Madison, who also wrote the 1st Amendment and was commenting on its meaning, and article 11 of the treaty of tripoli which states in no uncertain terms that the US is not a christian theocracy, as well as every supreme court ruling...ever on the subject)... this pledge fairly well encapsulates what the principles of our government are. Particularly that last part. Liberty and Justice for all.

How can treating anyone as a second class citizen, as Will Phillips contends, be abiding by these principles? Is it not appropriate to protest this injustice, this affront to the Constitution by refusing to recite the pledge?

Of course it is.

Mindlessly repeating the words of the Pledge, or engaging in other acts of blind patriotism mean absolutely nothing. Living the principles that this country was founded on and standing up for your beliefs, even if it means refusing to engage in ceremonial nationalism, burning a flag, or taking other actions that remain lawful but get the point across is what matters. Simply wrapping yourself in the flag and "LOVING FREEEDOM!!!" means nothing, and only reveals how shallow your belief in the very principles that this child is upholding actually is. Good Job.

[Aasharu]

It's interesting, but despite the mass of hate-spewing idiots, there also seem to be a lot of people commenting to show support for the kid. I think it's also somewhat telling that the hateful comments have a low score, but the supportive ones have a high score. Shows that more people agree with the kid then with the "AMERICA FREEDOM FLAG!" shouting idiots.

[Shroom Man 777]

Comments get scores? I wonder how mine fared.

Also, I wonder how many of those tard comments actually came from people like me who are just being horribly ironic?

[Jade Falcon]

Comments get scores? I wonder how mine fared.

Also, I wonder how many of those tard comments actually came from people like me who are just being horribly ironic?

Is that not giving the idiots too much credit though?

And Alyrium Denryle, very nicely said.

[Molyneux]

Comments get scores? I wonder how mine fared.

Also, I wonder how many of those tard comments actually came from people like me who are just being horribly ironic?

Is that not giving the idiots too much credit though?

And Alyrium Denryle, very nicely said.

Never forget Poe's Law.

[Foggy NotGood]

It's amazing that this kid could handle the situation so calmly. Kudos to him. As a few others of you said, hopefully he'll be able to get out of Arkansas to a place where his intelligence can be nurtured and put toward good use, like continuing to stand up for his beliefs. Also, most of the time I worry about the state our (well, my, since I don't know where y'all are located...) country is headed. It's stories like these that give me a little bit of hope.

Feasibly, things could look up. If only more people stood up for what they believed in...

[WesFox13]

Wow, I am sure proud of what that kid did. Man if I only was just as brave as him when I was his age instead of swallowing the Neo-Con BS from my parents.

And yes, I believe it is disrespecting the soldiers who died for this country that so many of the idiots who commented on that in a negative light. I mean that kind of blind faux-patriotism would make any true patriot who wants to make his country better mad. In my eyes Patriotism isn't worshiping the flag or blindly accepting what the country does, True Patriotism is changing your country for the better and using the rights you have to help make that happen.

[Pint0 Xtreme]

Wow, I am sure proud of what that kid did. Man if I only was just as brave as him when I was his age instead of swallowing the Neo-Con BS from my parents.

Well, this kid doesn't have parents that feed him Neo-Con BS, which is partly why he's made such a stand for himself. I give kudos to the kid and kudos to his parents as well. We need more parents like that.

[chitoryu12]

How normal is it for a child still at school (and this young) to be asked to repeat the Pledge?

It's a part of daily routine in the US, though it can run the gamut of having to stand and put your hand on your heart and recite it or just recite it from your desk, and various teachers are generally loose about it.

How far did it go at your schools? I remember saying it pretty much everyday in Elementary School, but honestly can't recall if it was ever regularly said in middle school and high school.

Through middle school, we all said it. At my high school, I've never seen one teacher actually paying attention (they're all saying the pledge themselves). Most kids say it, but they're all fine as long as you just stand silently.

[Vampiress_Miyu]

How far did it go at your schools? I remember saying it pretty much everyday in Elementary School, but honestly can't recall if it was ever regularly said in middle school and high school.

I am fairly certain that we did it at my middle school during homeroom.
At high school as well, but we only had homeroom on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Middle and Elementary school it was said over the loudspeaker. I think for the first year or two of high school we had the pledge read too, but they don't seem to do that anymore. I remember because we would have random students read it each day.

[chitoryu12]

Ironically, we just had an article in the school newspaper on saying the pledge. There was apparently some controversy in 2005 when a junior refused to say the pledge and was called "ungrateful" and "un-American".

According to the article, students are allowed to say the pledge while sitting, but require a parental note to not say the pledge at all. The article also says that the Florida school system is appealing the Supreme Court to require students to stand.

The pledge, for that matter, is said over the PA system every morning after the bell to start first period rings, before they do the morning announcments and WRAM News.

[Razorgeist]

Last night's "The Daily Show" did the best bookend to this story I could imagine.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/110102/the-da ... s-p1-sr-i1

Who wants to bet how many of his classmates are wrestling fans .