A person who most have heard of before that has been to court regarding mandatory Pledge of Allegiance is Michael Newdow. Newdow is atheist and has constantly been trying to get the Pledge to become not mandatory. He says he doesn't like the fact that his daughter is "learning" religion because she is required to say "under God." When interviewed by the Chronicle, a Sacramento newspaper, he makes a very valid point on where he is coming from.
"I'm passionate about treating people equally," Newdow said. "Imagine you send your kids to school everyday, and the teachers made them stand up and say, 'We are one nation the denies God exists." Imagine you are Jewish, and they say, 'We're one nation under Jesus.' Imagine you are Christian, and they say, 'We're one nation under Mohammad.' Do you think it's a big deal? Because that's exactly what goes on against atheists."
He makes a great point, but students have been saying the Pledge in school for as long as they can remember. Because everyday in elementary school we would recite the Pledge. Once we entered junior high, we would just say it once a week in Titan Time. This continued for about the first quarter of the '06-'07 school year. We soon didn't even say the Pledge at all. During the '07-'08 school year, we never once said the Pledge of Allegiance. Now we get back to school this year and we suddenly say it everyday.
Granted saying it everyday gets tiring. The point of saying the pledge is to remind us of our patriotism and how much we love our country. But saying everyday just makes students lose the meaning of the Pledge. That's why I think we should have the Pledge be mandatory, but only say it once a week.
-critter-
7 comments:
It should absolutely be optional. If someone does not want to say it (or wants to leave out "under God") they should have every right to. At the same time, it should not be banned because of "under God". It should be up to the individual what parts they say if any at all.
As American we have the freedom of speech, meaning we can't be banned from saying "under God," or be forced to say anything. It's a great idea for schools to have students recite the pledge on a regular basis, but they can't literally force them to say the words and put meaning behind those words.
There should be absolutely nothing forcing you to say it. I don't have any problem with the "under god statement" (and I'm not christian), but being forced to say it can be dangerous. When it becomes mandatory it is no longer patriotism it is nationalism. The ability to decline saying it is one of the factors that truly make America free by separating us from DPRK and PRC. If you truly love your country you shouldn't need to prove it to anyone.
If you are American, which we all are, the plegde should be said at least once a week. It's a good reminder of how we need to appreciate the country we live in. With the whole "under god" thing, I think that should just have an " insert god(s) here" when written out. Then when its said, the students can say what they actually believe.
All of your poitns are valid. Like Mr. Keller mentioned in class today, the freedom of speech aspect of this issue has already been taken care of.
I don't think I got my point across quite right though. I think SCHOOLS should make it mandatory. Newdow was able to not let certain school districts to not even give students the option or reciting the pledge.
The students don't need to say it, the school just needs to give the students the option. The freedom of speech gives you the right to say the pledge or not. But there are some people who would like to be reminded about our beloved country and take pride in it by saying the Pledge.
Sorry if I didn't make my point as clear as I has hoped to.
umm...I think maybe your point is still not getting across.
Apart from the fact that several reasons as to why the pledge should most definitely be optional, you first say that schools should make the pledge mandatory...and then go on to say that students shouldn't have to say it, but should have the option. what exactly are you going for here? you are right to say that your original article was not clear, but I'm not sure the explanation makes much more sense.
Saying the pledge in school is a great idea. It gets the students involved and teaches them patriotism. However, they are not exactly FORCED to do it, even if they feel pressure because the rest of the class is participating. And even if they participate, nobody is FORCING them to say the "under God" part. It would be unfair for the government to completely ban anybody from saying it in school since everybody has the choice of whether or not to join anyways.
Post a Comment