A SOLDIER'S PERSPECTIVE
THE WEB'S LEADING MILITARY BLOG SINCE 2004
There’s something seriously wrong with the system of education in this country where flags are frowned upon and the Pledge of Allegiance is flat out banned! If you can’t pledge allegiance to your country (not the politicians), what are you doing here?
A school in Massachusetts (go figure), has banned the Pledge of Allegiance in the classroom. And until Senior Sean Harrington complained, the classes didn’t even have flags in them. He fought hard to get flags in the classroom and the Pledge of Allegiance reinstated. He won on the flags, but the pledge was forbidden.
The principal responsible for this travesty is Charles Skidmore, principal of Arlington High School in Arlington, Mass. If you’d like to make your opinions known about this un-American policy, his phone number is 781-316-3590/3591.
Ironically, the Pledge of Allegiance started as a public school celebration. It was introduced in 1892 and has been changed four times since its inception. And yet, these days we find educators increasing unwilling to ask students to be loyal to their own country. One of the most heartbreaking parts of a FoxNews article on the subject said this:
The Arlington, Mass., school committee has rejected the 17-year-old’s request to allow students to voluntarily recite the Pledge of Allegiance, because some educators are concerned that it would be hard to find teachers willing to recite it, according to a report in the Arlington Patch.
Really?! Are our educators really that way? I’m sure we could find plenty of teachers – whose job is to teach American history and civics – that are out of work and willing to recite the pledge to replace the ones that can’t. Maybe that school committee needs to hear from you:
Karen Fitzgerald, Administrative Secretary
kfitzgerald@arlington.k12.ma.us
Address: Arlington High School
869 Massachusetts Avenue, 6th Floor
Arlington, MA 02476
Phone: 781-316-3540
Fax: 781-316-3509
Hours: 8:00am – 4:00pm (Monday – Friday)
Regular Meetings are held the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month except July and August.
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Joseph A. Curro, Jr.
CHAIR
jcurro@alumni.tufts.edu 21 Millett Street, 781-641-4190
Leba Heigham
VICE CHAIR
leba@lebaheigham.com 82 Richfield Road, 339-368-5095
Cindy Starks
SECRETARY
acmi@comcast.net 1 Monadnock Road, 781-646-8887 (h)
Jeff Thielman
jthielman@rcn.com 37 Coolidge Road, 781-859-9099 (c)
781-316-1728 (h)
Joseph E. Curran
jcurran81@verizon.net 5 Hodge Road, 781-646-0580 (h)
Kirsi C. Allison-Ampe
kirsi@allisonampe.org 12 Brattle Terrace, 781-646-3948
Judson L. Pierce
judson@judsonpierce.com 42 Draper Avenue, 978-335-5667
[Author's Note: The OPINIONS expressed here are solely those of the author and do not represent those of any agency of the United States Government, expressly including, but not limited to, the Department of Defense or the United States Army. This site is not designed, authorized, sanctioned, or affiliated, by or with, any agency of the United States Government, expressly including, but not limited to, the Department of Defense or the United States Army. This post is in accordance with DODD 1344.10, which expressly permits me to "express a personal opinion on political candidates and issues, but not as a representative of the Armed Forces." Therefore, I hereby declare that I do not write this post as a representative of the Armed Forces. Since I no longer own this site, consider this post also in compliance with the provisions of paragraph 4.1.1.6 of DODD 1344.10.]
(24) Readers Comments
Leave a Reply
![[UPDATE] The “Face” of Military Dating Scams – The Wall of Shame](http://militarygear.com/asp/wp-content/themes/LondonLive/thumb.php?src=http://militarygear.com/asp/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/2.jpg&w=53&h=41&zc=1&q=100)
Anatomy of a Military Dating Scam
to Anonn, thank you. i thought so. i just want a clear picture of his
Military Dating Scams (More Nigerian Scammers)
New Scam to be aware of……….I am 2LT. Anderson Darrell Clinton , an off
Anatomy of a Military Dating Scam
New Scam to be aware of……….I am 2LT. Anderson Darrell Clinton , an off
[UPDATE] The "Face" of Military Dating Scams - The Wall of Shame
New Scam to be aware of……….I am 2LT. Anderson Darrell Clinton , an off
Bob The American
WHAT?!!!!!
THAT IS UTTERLY STUPID!
Oh, its Mass. They’re idiots up there. Take it from another New Englander. We’re embarrassed by them.
AZ Vet
Stupid just plain stupid. Massachusetts has its share of stupidities but this country wouldn’t be anywhere without it. Remember that there are alot of Mass residents who disapprove of what has been done. Wouldn’t want to lump other great states in with a couple of stupid people in them. Fire this guy!
APplY fOr VA LoAn
This is not shocking. The new generation of public school teachers seem to be uneducated, uninformed, unprepared, unconcerned and unpatriotic. This is not to say all teachers are bad. But there is an overwhelming majority that are just incompetent. The problem is not just with the public schools. Many college graduates are not able to use proper grammar. This is the direct result of PC antics.
dprosenthal
What idiocy – how can anyone be offended by hearing the Pledge of Allegiance?
No one would be required to recite it or even stand as it is said. If the problem is with the word ‘God’, one can omit that phrase. If someone is offended by a pledge to support and honor the Republic of the United States of America, he should go back to the country he can respect.
Anthony Emmel
Whiskey tango foxtrot?
Maybe we’re just all the misogynistic, luddite, jingoist, racist white guys they say we are. The inmates are loose and we’re becoming the inmates….
HMBabb
That does seem like throwing the baby out with the bath water. On those occasions where I’ve led the Pledge, I’ve simply paused while everyone else said “under God” and gone on, and it’s never been a problem.
Kris
Does anyone know if Kagan is from there? She disagrees with the Freedom of Speech and The Right to Bear Arms, oh… and lets not forget banning recruiters at Harvard for a time, so it is only to follow that she would ban the Pledge to Our Great Nation as well.
Annie LaCourt
Except that the school committee did not “ban” anything. The pledge is said daily at all 7 of the Arlington elementary schools and the middle school. It has not been said at the high school for many years certainly since long before any of the current SC members were elected. This was the first time Sean had made this request directly to the SC and its not at all clear if he had spoken to the principal directly before coming to the SC. Her certainly had not spoken to the SC before setting up a petition and seeking signatures. What the SC did was to refer the matter to the policy and procedures committee. The pledge is said on a voluntary basis in the other schools and what Sean first requested was that the SC enforce a Mass state law that was declared unconstitutional in 1977. That law required the saying of the pledge and fined teachers who failed to lead it daily. Several SC members were concerned that the opportunity to say the pledge is offered in a way that does no violate the bill of rights. This matter is being resolved and the opportunity to say the pledge will be available to all students at the high school in the fall. I am a resident of Arlington and the mother of two students at the high school. I can assure that my children learned the pledge in elementary school and said it in class daily thru 8th grade. This is all a tempest in a tea pot.
Miss Ladybug
You missed the updated version. They can now say the Pledge, but not in the classroom…
Sharon McEachern
Hey, do you suppose the VA, or its hospital administrators, take a Pledge of Allegiance To The Veteran? Ethic Soup has a good post on the VA Hospital in St Lous that just sent out letters to 1,800 vets telling them that the hospital may have infected them with hepatitis and/or HIV by using comtaminated dental instruments. Improper sterilization and almost 2,000 vets could have life-threatening diseases — more evidence that VA hospitals can kill you:
http://www.ethicsoup.com/2010/07/more-evidence-that-va-hospitals-can-kill-you-now-1800-more-vets-may-be-infected-with-hiv.html
arlington_resident
Amazing how people can run so far with so much misinformation. The 17-year old kid wasn’t proposing something that would be exactly “voluntary” and the School Committee didn’t ban anything. This is all still being discussed in town and people have strong feelings on both sides. In a democracy different views have to be considered, remember?
Pingback: Followup To School Pledge Ban | A Soldier's Perspective
Edwin Bartholomew, Jr.
The pledge is empty and meaningless to most students. Far better to introduce them to the reasons this country is so special — freedom of speech, constantly striving for equality, personal freedoms — by allowing their inquiries into the constitution and bill of rights, the birth of our nation, and a comparison of the freedoms we have thanks to the service of soldiers like you than to force recitation of a pledge which students memorize, but don’t always value. Better to have them write their own pledges, even!
CJ
It’s not empty and meaningless if you also teach what the words mean. Our public education system does not.
Jeremy Nissly
I found this thread by googling “taking the Pledge of Allegiance out of schools” because I wanted to make sure the DoD did not pass a policy on such before I push an issue.
I just picked my daughter up from a DOD school on Fort Bragg today and after seeing children playing outside instead of pausing when retreat sounded at 1700, I began to wonder if other kids were learning about paying respect to the Flag.
After a brief question/answer session with my 9 year old, I learned that the last time she consistently did the Pledge was before I entered the military 2 years ago in Florida. Since then, her 3rd grade teacher last year (DoD school) did it 1-2 times per week. This year (4th) her new teacher doesn’t do it at all.
I plan to get the other side of the story tomorrow, but I was wondering if anyone else has heard of this happening on a DoD base.
I would hate to speculate, but her new teacher is very young and likely already brainwashed by the “non-offensive” college system that doesn’t want to offend anyone except for those who defend the Constitution (as it was intended).
David Strommen
Interesting comments. I see brainwashed for those who may be opposed to repeated recitations, but do we realize the the repetitious recitation may very well be a form of brainwashing. Don’t get me wrong. I love my country, but reciting the pledge is not going to make me or my children better Americans. When our country works to actually come together and fight for liberty and justice for all and think we are doing it when we say a rote piece then we are on the right track to what our founding fathers and mothers were seeking when we declared independence from GB. Parts of my family has been here since 1621, they fought in the revolution and every war since. What they fought for was not patriotism (often time edging towards, if not overtly converging with, idolatry), they fought for freedom. To malign others with a differing take on “patriotic” shows is not what America is about and never should be. I proudly recite the pledge in my civic organizations, my children recite it at school (the youngest every day, plus singing the anthem). She enjoys it, but we also teach her this must be taken for what it is and she should not feel compelled to do so if it edges even closer to flag and country worship. Worship is alone reserved for God!
Claire Pfeiffer
I think this is a smart decision. Not because I don’t support my country but because I think the pledge contradicts itself and the first amendment by referencing God. I believe it is discriminatory to people who don’t believe in a God. I would be fine reciting the pledge if it kept its original context and did not reference God. But students in public schools shouldn’t have to acknowledge God. I’m actually writing a speech about this topic and how the pledge can be offensive.
CJ
Claire, please tell me what religion is forced upon you by mentioning God? If you don’t WANT to say the pledge, you don’t have to. Congress (and the schools) aren’t establishing any religion by allowing the pledge of allegiance. People CHOOSE to be offended, it doesn’t just happen. When this country can stop pretending to be “offended” maybe some real progress can be made.
Peadar
personally, i am shocked that the main ‘controversy’ in this story is the inclusion of the ‘God refrence’…
how many developed nations compel their citizens to make a pledge of allegiance? Sounds a little totalitarian to me…
children should be treated with respect, not forced into pledging allegiance to something they are unlikely to understand or appreciate. how can we expect american kids to develop into ‘free thinking’ and informed individuals when such insular propaganda is drilled into them from so young. kids are impressionable and should not be expected (let alone forced) to pledge allegiance to anything. rather the education establishment should focus on providing them with a well rounded and unbias education – equiping them with the tools to think for themselves. when the kids are adults let (and by all means, enable) them to make a pledge/oath of allegiance if they so wish – but don’t force it upon them.
if america is truely the land of the free, it should enable the freedom of silence (i.e. not make the pledge), as well as the freedom of speech, ensuring the freedom of rational thought…
please, do not prepare our kids as cannon fodder for the next war 15/20 years down the line…
Calloway
Um, I don’t think that will result in a war. If you are silent during “under God”, then who does it hurt? How has this become another war between atheists and Christians? I pledge my allegiance to the United States. Remember– you are still here.
Zadia
I think you’re right. Who does it hurt?
Calloway
Thank you. It’s nice to be appreciated.
Dale Dudley
What about the statement “if you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything”?
Freedom always comes with a price and if people are asked to die for their country why can’t they be asked to pledge an allegiance if they live under that country’s opportunities?
Tom shift
I realize this article is old, but I would like to share my personal opinion about the matter.
I’m currently a high school student who regularly does not stand for the pledge of allegiance.
I don’t stand for it because I perceive the pledge as a form of propaganda.
I don’t agree with the actions of the federal government in any sense, when it comes to foreign affairs, or public policies.
I don’t believe american soldiers are fighting for freedom, but are fighting for the interests of corporations and the federal government.
I don’t believe the federal government should have the right to occupy other countries, because of a “terrorist threat”, that could have been avoided entirely if we had not meddled in the affairs of others previously.
I mean,what if, our meddling in the affairs of others, is directly correlated to the hatred directed toward us?