Education board chair resigns over Pledge of Allegiance vote

[Mr&Mrs G. 903]

NEW HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — An attempt to have a Connecticut town’s education board begin each meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance has led to the resignation of the board’s chairman who said he doesn’t want to be forced to recite the pledge.

 

https://apnews.com/6d1da0de8ee440058f80f8b6651b656e

 

 

Why do so many Americans come across as anti American? 

 

Trump is the President he is not America, in a few years he will be gone. The Pledge of Alegiance or the National anthem will still mean the same regardless of who is President. Time to get over yourselves and get back to being American and stand by your flag not on it, if Americans don't care why should future immigrants? 

 

 

[smilesammich 10,727]

20 minutes ago, Mr&Mrs G. said:

 

 

 

Why do so many Americans come across as anti American? 

 

 

 

i can't think of anything more american than the right to refuse to pledge allegiance to anything, actually.

[Steeleballz 7,550]

 

  I just asked my son to recite it and we were focused on the "liberty and justice for all" part. If you force someone to recite a pledge, you have lost that part of it. If the pledge of allegiance does not come from the heart, there is no meaning to the words. I would not ever force someone to say it. Hopefully I could instead give reason to convince them why it is important to those who do recite it.

[yuna628 9,706]

14 minutes ago, smilesammich said:

i can't think of anything more american than the right to refuse to pledge allegiance to anything, actually.

Indeed.

 

Dissent against the pledge has been around for ages. Many refuse for a variety of reasons, all closely held and well-protected beliefs and reasons.

[Mr&Mrs G. 903]

Sorry I can't get behind the sentiments of the replies.

 

It's very simple that you should pledge allegiance to your flag, just because you have the right not to doesn't mean you shouldn't. I can't imagine there would be a time I would ever not be loyal to my Irish flag or national anthem and in time I hope to be able to say the same about the US. 

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

and Democracy worked. It was voted on, the motion passed and he resigned in Protest. Worked out perfectly 

[Steeleballz 7,550]

23 minutes ago, Nature Boy Flair said:

and Democracy worked. It was voted on, the motion passed and he resigned in Protest. Worked out perfectly 

 

   I would rather someone not say the pledge than have them recite it without meaning. The latter just breeds resentment. 

 

   I recall in school with the lords prayer one year, our teacher just asked those who did not wish to say it to remain silent for that time frame out of respect to others. Not a perfect solution, but better than forcing people who did not want to join in.

[yuna628 9,706]

44 minutes ago, Mr&Mrs G. said:

Sorry I can't get behind the sentiments of the replies.

 

It's very simple that you should pledge allegiance to your flag, just because you have the right not to doesn't mean you shouldn't. I can't imagine there would be a time I would ever not be loyal to my Irish flag or national anthem and in time I hope to be able to say the same about the US. 

But you are aware when you take a citizenship oath, you must ''absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen''. This oath virtually holds about as much weight as the Pledge itself, as in reality you will never be forced to actually do what the oath says.

 

Forced patriotism is not freedom. The right to dissent and the right not to dissent if a person so chooses to of their own free will. If we do not exercise our rights thereof, what good are they? A person who does not state a pledge (which did not get invented until the very late 1800s and has been changed a bit and taken away from it's original intent) or stand for a song does not make them any more or any less of an American. It does not make them a better American than another. We are, if anything, a people full of principles. Some are unwilling to compromise on those principles, no matter how much someone disagrees with it. The founders would have whole-heartedly supported those who dissent, and would have likely been greatly troubled by forced patriotism.

 

42 minutes ago, Nature Boy Flair said:

and Democracy worked. It was voted on, the motion passed and he resigned in Protest. Worked out perfectly 

Sure thing. SCOTUS has been pretty clear on it anyway.

Edited August 27, 2018 by yuna628

[Randyandyuni 2,682]

personally I feel he has the right to refuse but I think he is shortsighted in his resignation, he is better able to support students in their potential refusal to say the pledge from the inside not as a former member

[Mr&Mrs G. 903]

2 minutes ago, yuna628 said:

But you are aware when you take a citizenship oath, you must ''absolutely and entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a subject or citizen''. This oath virtually holds about as much weight as the Pledge itself, as in reality you will never be forced to actually do what the oath says.

 

Forced patriotism is not freedom. The right to dissent and the right not to dissent if a person so chooses to of their own free will. If we do not exercise our rights thereof, what good are they? A person who does not state a pledge (which did not get invented until the very late 1800s and has been changed a bit and taken away from it's original intent) or stand for a song does not make them any more American. We are, if anything, a people full of principles. Some are unwilling to compromise on those principles, no matter how much someone disagrees with it. The founders would have whole-heartedly supported those who dissent, and would have likely been greatly troubled by forced patriotism.

 

Sure thing. SCOTUS has been pretty clear on it anyway.

I am aware but the US doesnt require a new citizen to give up their own countries citizenship.

 

Still don't understand why someone wouldn't want to pledge their allegiance, maybe I'll never get it. 🤔

 

But thank you for the explanation.