"I think that's what they should be doing - telling kids you should be pledging your allegiance to this country," said Reese. "This is a great country. You're here for a reason."
You're here because your parents had sex nine months before going to a hospital on US soil.
The pledge was instead replaced with a singing version of the preamble to the Constitution.
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
That ain't half bad. Also, it is far more useful to know than the pledge.
KATU tried repeatedly to talk with Principal Pam Wilson but got no results. However, in an e-mail response to Reese's questions, she explained the pledge was removed "out of respect for the diversity of religious faiths."
Removed for what? Out of respect for the diversity of religious faiths? That doesn't even make any sense at all! What could possibly be considered religious in the Pledge? I mean seriously if you note that the Constitution was established to "insure domestic Tranquility" there's no way we could live within the spirit of that goal and force children to swear allegiance to values they do not hold. Certainly that couldn't happen so why would there be anything in the pledge anybody could object to? It is understandable that the Jehovah Witnesses objected to the idea of taking oaths but they lost that case (and won a later one on 1st amendment grounds of compelling speech).
As the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision in Newdow v. Elk Ridge noted "To recite the pledge is not to describe the United States; instead it is to swear allegiance to the values for which the flag stands: unity, indivisibility, liberty, justice and -- since 1954 -- monotheism" -- The fact is this entire issue is completely about religion.
From the mother who suggested that God is the reason the kids are in this country and should swear allegiance because "they're here for a reason" to the principal who removed it out of respect for "the diversity of religious faiths" it's all God God God. Why didn't the principle just remove the phrase "under God" from the pledge? That's the objectionable part! Because if she did that... she'd be fired. She'd be attacking God by bringing the school into compliance with the law (not really the law but a proper interpretation of the Constitution).
First they take (forced Christian) prayer out of school, then they want to take "under God" out of the Pledge, and want to take "In God We Trust" off our money... yup. -- I'm often amazed at all the crap that gets churned up when unconstitutional laws get passed. Like the IRS being harassed and hounded by Scientologists who really wanted to be declared a religion so they could avoid taxes, investigations of churches overstepping the line when it comes to politics, and hanky-panky when it comes to getting non-Christian establishments under the same rules. -- All of those go away if Churches weren't given tax-free status. They should be taxed just like any other business. In fact, treating them differently is a pretty direct violation of the first amendment.
Way to ensure domestic tranquility.
I assume the song goes something like this.
(School House Rock)
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