I'm not asking a political question. It was a personal question. Was just curious. What do you do?

if the parenting of a particular child is strong, then anything a "government official" from a school says won't impact them very much at all. and besides, in all honesty i think if a government official wants to teach children that they SHOULD recite a pledge (which is obviously something a bit more positive opposed to kids turning their back on the flag) then i think its fine.

1991

It must have been the sheer amount of weed that was consumed at our HS that prevented much bullying going on over beliefs. Everyone was too baked all the time to give a fuck.

i do the same.

Despite the fact I'm an atheist, I do pretty much the same. If someone asked me to lead a prayer I would probably bow out, then again maybe not.

I would pray with them. No need to start a debate with my friends. It's their normal habit so I'll go along with it. It won't mean anything to me, it'll just be keep them doing whats normal for them without any distractions.

Thats cool if you dont want to pledge but do you have to turn you whole fucking body the other way and disrespect the flag that so many fought for you could even have fucking freedom.

Just like all the people here that drive around with their Mexico flags or wherever and they are the biggest U.S. haters.. Well if its so fucking bad then GO THE FUCK HOME!

Well, I'm not really religious, nor am I certain there is one god who's all powerful, and I don't really think that god has a place in our govt...but if your kid saying the words "under god" while pledging allegiance to the flag is going to wreck your kid's life, you're not doing a very good job of raising your kid.

I don't respect the flag who so many died for, I respect those who died for it! The way I see it the flag represents the ruling class who got into a fucked up situation and needed the war in the first place. The ones who died are the heros who saved the common people from the danger that the ruling class put us in.

The flag represents the righ, the soldiers represent the common folks. The common folks are what give the rulers their strength, but at the same time the ruling class treats us like shit.

How would it be if the pledge said...

"One nation under Allah"?

I think it's an endorsement of God, endorses that there is a God.

That reference doesn't belong in the Pledge, but the pledge belongs in classroms (without that endorsement).

There are private schools religious schools parents can send their children to, if they'd like them brought up that way. Public schools should be religiously neutral.

I remember the 2 Jehova's witness kids at school that didn't recite the pledge in elementary school and they were both outcast by the rest of our class.

Are you originally from Canada? ;)

What places the "person who doesn't want to say a prayer/pledge" rights ahead of those that do??

Either way it goes, someone is deprived.

Noone's taking away the rights of those who want to say a prayer or pledge. They just don't want the belief in god to be encouraged or discouraged in the school. Now it's being encouraged because young kids are instructed to say it and led by teachers.

Nope, I'm from New Jersey. Whatever, land is land to me. :glugglug

That's stupid.

I said the pledge for years in school and other places when I was young. I'm not religious, and I don't believe in one all powerful god.

Neither party has the right to put their rights and beliefs ahead of the other. Currently the people that recite the pledge and force others to stand around twidling their thumbs are doing exactly that!

School is a place to learn. It's not a religious day camp. A little more time teaching the three R's and less time endorsing God or a God might help this country out!!

Pledge allegiance to God.. It could be anyones God.. It didnt say Christian God, or Jewish God... Its for anyones God


KC.... the alah shit was funny dude! lol

But I don't have a god. I think the idea of god is ultimately a bad thing that has a good amount of negative effects on this world. Once the kids start arguing over what god is, then there'll be problems.

I remember when I was young, I had a talk with a jewish girl. This was probably first grade. She said that she was jewish so she didn't believe in jesus. I told her she was going to hell. Imagine the conflict. Then we find out that the school means either one is OK while my parents tell me that jews definetly go to hell by what the bible says. The school should just let religion be a personal thing and not even mention it.

I think that is probably not a bad decision. Parents have the freedom to raise their children how they want.

At the same time, I think sexuality should be left to be discussed at home also. Just because little johnny has two dads doesn't mean the school should be telling my kids that it is acceptable.

Since we're on the subject of what should or shouldn't be forced on our kids in school.

Though I agree that there's nothing wrong with being gay, that shouldn't be up to the school to tell the kids. Maybe other kids can try and tell each other that, but it's none of the schools business. Teach them about safe sex, how the reproductive system works, and about diseases. Leave emotional matters for the kids to decide.

I'm not a Christian, my daughter's not a Christian, and I don't want my daughter going to a Christian school. I think it's my right to send my daughter to an open-minded public school rather than one that assumes the existence of Odin or Zeus or this God character.

I see you clearly have your logic-hat on....

:thumbsup :thumbsup


I want a REFUND on the father's public education bill! he clearly missed some classes that we paid for....


...and now we're having to continuously pay for his stupidity...

That's actually not correct. Our forefathers including Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, et al, were all deists.

". the opinions and beliefs of men . . . follow involuntarily the evidence proposed to their minds." - George Washington

True True
I was attending a function yesterday at the VFW here and they said the pledge. It was weird for me. I haven't been around people saying it for a long time. When the "under god" part came I just didn't say anything and thought to myself "under heavens"

Nothing wrong with the pledge, however I do think they should remove the "Under God" part since it was not in the original.

Let's get back to basics.

The ironic thing is I don't really even remember saying it in school, and I moved around a lot. I had to say it in kindergarten and first grade, and I think that was it. Then they just made optional....basically if you wanted to do the pledge of allegience you could do it on your own time.


I'm definitely patriotic but I don't really understand the need for a Pledge of Allegience anyways. I can see why in a authoritarian state like the former Soviet Union or under an empire like the once great British Empire, you'd have to pledge allegience, but in America?? I think it would be more approrproiate to require kids to write an essay on what they love about their country, and how they plan to make it even better when they grow up.

On the other hand, maybe it's a good idea because having to recite a pledge every day in and day out, would make you question why you had to do it in the first place.

If you say it's voluntary, look at it this way.

If you get on an opt-in e-mail list you choose to be on it.

If you get on an "opt-out" e-mail list you didn't ask to be on it but by default you get the mails unless you go through the hassle of "opting out" for something you never wanted in the first place.

so would you say it's kind of like Spam?

Yeah, every kid wants to be the one kid not saying "under God" during the pledge, or not saying the pledge. All kids love to be isolated and pegged as non-Christians... especially in small Southern towns.

Thats a local law man... here you cant even buy alcohol outside of city limits (dry counties) and you cant buy alcohol between 12-6am anydays, or AT ALL on Sunday. Also no cold beer sold at gas stations. And this is in a college town.

that f'ing blows....where do you live? Utah?