Wednesday, September 23, 2009

I pledge...



KSL reported a few weeks ago about how angry they were about a movie about Hollywood actors pledging to do their part for the environment, or helping the president meet his goals, or whatever. The movie wasn't the most tactful thing ever, but had a good message: students can improve their lives, and make a difference. The Eagle Forum had a field day with the whole thing, because they felt that showing support for the president in the schools was promoting a liberal agenda. That is reason 403 I think the Eagle Forum full of a bunch of idiots.

Today I saw one of those stupid facebook applications that everybody wants me to see by sending it to my mini-feed. I honestly don't know why some people think I care about which Disney princess they were in a previous life, which WWF superstar from the early 90's their personality reflects, or what month they should get married. I just don't care. If you think I do, I don't. Every once in a while I'll see one that makes me chuckle, but 9,999 times out of 10,000 I roll my eyes and wonder aloud, "Do you honestly think I care?" Sometimes I'm more colorful than that...


Today I saw one, and before I ignored the poster, I took a screen shot of it because I wondered how many people in the country HONESTLY see the world the way the guy that wrote this quiz does.



Let me tell you what bugs me. In the quiz it says "should the pledge be brought back..." In order to be brought back, it would have needed to leave first.

***NEWS FLASH*****

The pledge hasn't gone anywhere. Sure there have been lawsuits and "liberal" judges have ruled that children can opt out of reciting the pledge of allegiance, schools still regularly recite it. To phrase it "be brought back" is language that incites fear into people, and encourages them to complain that they want their America back....

... I hadn't realized America went anywhere.

The pledge has gone through several changes to conform to current events. In the 1950's the U.S. was in a cold war with the U.S.S.R., and to show our strength and connection to Christian ideals, we added "under God" to our pledge. I believe in God, and have no problem with "under God" being in the pledge, but I don't think it is wrong for someone else to have a problem with it. The pledge changed to serve a purpose before, could it change again to serve a new purpose? If a student feels stronglyabout the pledge in my classroom, I would respect their request and invite them to sit out, or stand respectfully.

Anyway, my point is that in America we still say the pledge. If you haven't been in a classroom since you were there as a student, go volunteer. You'll see that classrooms still take part in the pledge once a week, or daily. If volunteering at a school is against your beliefs, then you can feel free to sit out.

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