Now schools are beginning to make it a policy that students have to stand at anthems, recite the pledge, etc. or be expelled. Ridiculous.
I think this issue has brought home to me the level of blind zealotry people have about parading patriotism ingrained into them. Clearly they know almost nothing about the flag or the anthem yet they allow an orange colored maniac drive them to public displays of racism. Now they want to ingrain that mindless reaction into our children?
MjL 29 Sep 2017, 6:31 a.m.
I have been reading some commentary about school kids taking a knee during the anthem or refusing to stand for the pledge. Many accuse the kids of simply mimicking what they see on TV or having no respect. Etc.
Maybe we should ask them? Instead of shouting them down and killing any spirit of free speech or thought —— make it a homework assignment to explain why they are doing what they are doing. It might make some interesting reading. Certainly more productive than punishing them for exercising the whole land of the free idea.
MjL 29 Sep 2017, 7:40 a.m.
I couldn’t agree more. I believe there are many Christians that have a problem with reciting the pledge. Me included, my allegiance is to Christ, not nationalism.
Michael T. 29 Sep 2017, 8:02 a.m.
This whole school kid anthem / pledge thing reminded me of something that happened while I was in the sixth grade.
We were doing a thing on the United Nations in class and the kids all were assigned to be UN delegates. We were supposed to go to the library and study our respective countries and in a few days we acted out a UN meeting.
I got to be the delegate from Russia. So I asked my Dad about it and he told me how Khrushchev had made a big scene banging on his desk and shouting. I looked it up in the encyclopedia and sure enough, that is what had happened. So you know what I did —— ?
I have no memory of what the UN topic was but when my turn came I started shouting and banging on my desk. Even as the teacher started shouting at me to shut up I continued my part, thinking I was doing my assignment. He grabbed me by the back of my collar and physically hauled me out of the classroom and marched me to the principal’s office.
I kept trying to interrupt him and the principal as they lectured me about my behavior and they only become more angry.
Finally the principal asked me what I had to say for myself and I explained about what Khrushchev had done. The room was suddenly quiet. Their mouths dropped open and the principal mumbled about never doing anything like that again.
The principal told me to go back to the class and told the teacher to stay. To this day I wish I could have heard that conversation.
MjL 29 Sep 2017, 8:02 a.m.
Hi Michael! Agreed. That’s another story. I’ve probably talked about my Mother’s religion, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and how much trouble I got into when I wouldn’t say the pledge because she told me not to. I was so stunned at how angry the teacher got over that. Indoctrination of school kids with various rituals and ideas is so very pervasive.
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