OK.
So, once again, your opinion will probably differ. But hey, it's (allegedly) a free country, and that's what's so great about it.
So, I really do NOT understand why certain parents in certain school districts around the country find it SO imperitive to require students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Patriotism is not born from groupthink, from being forced to recite a pledge.
My patriotism comes from living here, seeing the wonderful things people can do for each other, from freedom of speech, from the fact I'm a woman who has more rights than most women in other countries.. (though there are still plenty of issues to work on, don't get me wrong.)
Anyway, so my point is this: In a country supposedly founded on religious freedom, in a country that today prides itself on Freedom, how on earth can we justify forcing students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance? We must protect their right to not recite it. We must protect their right to not recite it precisely because we are a free country, and we are not a police state who forces its citizens to only believe one way. Our country is beautiful because of its incredible diversity.
"One Nation Under God"? Well, I don't call my "god" by that name. So that doesn't work well for me, but I understand the sentiment. I don't believe in blindly following a pack: I don't believe it's "us against the rest of the world". I believe in asking my country to be the best it can be, to be better than it is. I do love this country, and I love its people. But I love true freedom and true democracy, too.
peace n loaves
a
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