Every morning in our home room we stand as a class to say The Pledge of Allegiance. I remember back in elementary school when one or two students would come with a note to be excused from saying it which was fine. But today as we stand to recite it, I hear only a few voices join with mine.
I've tried to understand why students don't appreciate our country through these times we are in. Is it things they hear from their parents about not supporting the President, or is it just ideas they've come up with on their own? Or perhaps they just don't care. But whether we like our president or not, we have an obligation to stand up for our country. The country is not the president's; the country is ours. We are the people and we make up this country. Without us, well, there would be no United States. In each community it is important for us to stand up and be a part of this one united country. We cannot all turn against each other. The name of our country is the United States of America. United of course meaning that we must join and combine to form a single unit or whole. That doesn't mean that half of us can support our country and half of us can't.
True, we may not agree with decisions that our leaders are making. No one enjoys war or death. No one likes it when the country is under stress and heartache. But there are things we must endure. And enduring them would be much easier if we could stand as One Nation. We should support our troops, but most importantly we should support our own home, this country.
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Very well put.
Hey I am one that believes that if you do not like what is AMERICAN...then leave....Cold I know..but to me those are the facts.
very well said.
i agree with many parts.
in my particular school we only say the pledge on monday mornings, which is led by one of our seniors that are nominated to say it.
when i look around the room i see everyone standing,
yet i only here two or three voices apart from my own.
it's saddening,
very saddening.
"But whether we like our president or not, we have an obligation to stand up for our country."
That's an incredibly un-American thing for you to say.
The very notion of being made to say the pledge is un-American and our government should be ashamed for ever having made it part of the education system.
-Tim
"It costs nothing to be honest, loyal, and true." -Avett Bros.
I come from a school where we say the pledge of allegiance, and true, most people don't say it, because they're too busy talking to someone else.
I don't say it because I have torn apart the pledge and decided I didn't agree that it fit what is happening today.
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America..."
Okay, I'm with you so far. Allegiance means that I will stand and defend.
"...and to the republic for which it stands..."
I love my country, and what it was founded on. But I don't love what it's becoming. Hate-mongering, trivial, and engaging in pointless wars. So I won't align myself with that.
"...one nation, Under God..."
I will not support those that would change the allegiance to suit their wounded egos. I respect their religious preference. But our forefathers wrote this with passion and intelligence. Let it go.
"...indivisible..."
Obviously, that's not true.
"...with liberty and justice for all."
BULL! What about those that are falsely accused in courts? What about those that are racially profiled against? There is liberty and justice for the select few.
I am an American, and proud to be so. But I will not stand behind hypocrites. So I will not pledge allegiance to something that no longer deserves my allegiance.
An obligation? O.o
I live in the USA. I was born in the USA. I am a citizen of the USA.
I do not consider it my country. I've lived in Israel for all but three years of my life - Israel is my country.
And even then? If I don't like something my country is doing, I don't need to support it.
Cure heterosexuality!
I agree with you, but I also think that people should still have the freedom not to say it.
Of course, it doesn't really matter what I think--the 1st Amendment says it plainly.
Nancy
I know exactly how you feel, and I completely agree.
I personally don't support war, but I know alot of people in the military, and I'll support them through anything, because they're simply doing their job. They don't have a choice. And it's because of that that we are even allowed to be on this site blogging either for or against the war, against Bush, whatever.
as a reply to the person above me: yes, we do have the freedom not to say it, but the point is, the pledge of allegiance is something simple that you can do to affirm your love for this country, the one that allows you to say whatever you want to without persecution. there are very few other places in the world where you are given that luxury.
It's not saying, "I love this country." It's saying "I pledge alligience to this country."
Cure heterosexuality!
I have to disagree with you, I don't think pledging alligence makes you an American. In my school we have to pledge to the Christian flag too, but if you don't pledge to that flag you don't stop being a Christian. You will not get your citizenship taken away and it does not make you Un-American if you don't pledge to the flag. Get off your high horse and stop telling people they are Un-American if they don't pledge the American flag. I am 100% an American citizen and proud to be one, but one that does not say the Pledge of Alligence.
I'm not sure how you got that if you don't pledge allegiance to flag you're un-American out of this. I never said that, but sorry if that's how you took it!