I can't Pledge Allegiance to the flag...

This is a really big deal and ridiculous. When I went to public school, we had recitation of Psalms from the Bible first thing every morning! Now they pipe in horrid rap or other music. This ban on the Pledge is disgraceful and undermines our country. I would not send my child to this or any other public school today.

I think it is a big deal. When I was in school we pledged everyday. They take everything about GOD and America out of our society and what has it done for us other than destroy us. One athiest has more power over our society than millions of christians combined. It is a very sad situation that we are getting into.

It's against the beliefs of people of Jehovah's Witness to recite the pledge to our flag--or to participate in any other kind of a pledge or exercise that they see as bowing down to something/someone besides God. This is their right. Had this happened when I was going to grade school (where we recited The Pledge regularly), I'm sure that this would have been handled in a way that didn't offend anybody. Perhaps, during the time of recitation, somebody who was one of Jehovah's Witnesses might have been sent on an errand to take a note to the principal or school nurse, or it might have been handled in a more straightforward way (e.g. explaining to the class why Susie didn't participate in The Pledge). Of course, we never had any Jehovah's Witnesses in my class. In fact, the first time I learned that they didn't recite The Pledge was through a story we were read in sixth grade. Parents should be able to go to teachers and explain the religious training, etc. in their homes that would prohibit their kids from participating in certain activities, and tolerance should be something that's promoted so that kids from different backgrounds would be encouraged to get along.

I'm Canadian. If people in school weren't comfortable with O Canada, theyleft the room while the rest of us sing. I think the pledge should be handled the sane way. If you don't want to participate, leave the room.

Hello laglen, Where Do I begin my rant? First I will start with the political correctness in this country has gotten out of hand. Everyone trying to not hurt or step on anothers toes. Guess what? FREE SPEECH!!! GET A BACK BONE!!! We as Americans have been given that right by OUR CONSTITUTION! The Pledge of Allegiance absolutely should be said whenever asked and EVERY AMERICAN should recite it and if the words "under God" offend you (for some reason) then don't recite that part. I believe it is absolutley UNAMERICAN to not recite the Pledge. If you are an AMERICAN, then Pledging to our FLAG shouldn't offend you and if your offened GO HOME!!! This to me is as bad as the boys that were sent home from school for wearing the American flag on Cinco de Mayo!!! This is America, our flag, is just as important to US as any other countries flag is to them. The Pledge shows our honor, it stands for so much. Once you cross "the border" in to America from which ever direction you came SHOW RESPECT!!! Yes these people are American but they are UnAmerican in my opinion. "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." the wording of the Pledge of Allegiance is set in the US Code, at 4 USC 4 In its 1940 Gobitis decision (310 US 586), the Supreme Court ruled that schools can compel students to recite the Pledge. The U.S. Congress recognized the Pledge officially in 1942, and in 1954 added the phrase "under God" to the text. In 1943, the Supreme Court overturned Gobitis and ruled in its Barnette decision (319 US 624) that school children could not be forced to recite the Pledge as a part of their school day routine. http://www.usconstitution.net/pledge.html http://www.theindianreporter.com/patriotic_writings/pledge_of_allegiance.html "God save me, he's going to kill me for talking back." Instead tears welled up in his eyes and he squeaked out "You don't understand what this family has paid for the right to fly that flag." You can read the short story here: http://www.usflag.org/more2.html For those that have family that have served in the military and given the ULTIMATE sacrifice, it shows how important of a symbol our flag is. "The very purpose of a national flag is to serve as a symbol of our country," Texas v. Johnson, 491 U. S. 397, 405 (1989), and of its proud traditions "of freedom, of equal opportunity, of religious tolerance, and of good will for other peoples who share our aspirations," id., at 437 (Stevens, J., dissenting). As its history illustrates, the Pledge of Allegiance evolved as a common public acknowledgement of the ideals that our flag symbolizes. Its recitation is a patriotic exercise designed to foster national unity and pride in those principles. This was a law suit about reciting the flag in school quite a number of years ago in my area, I found this to be exactly how I feel about our flag. This also can be found in the link as to WHY the words "UNDER GOD" were added to the pledge. Congress revisited the Pledge of Allegiance 12 years later when it amended the text to add the words "under God." Act of June 14, 1954, ch. 297, 68 Stat. 249. The House Report that accompanied the legislation observed that, "[f]rom the time of our earliest history our peoples and our institutions have reflected the traditional concept that our Nation was founded on a fundamental belief in God." H. R. Rep. No. 1693, 83d Cong., 2d Sess., p. 2 (1954). The resulting text is the Pledge as we know it today: "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." 4 U. S. C. §4. END RANT!!!! Thank you laglen for giving me the opportunity to excercise my free speech rights, as always my 2 cents worth!!! I am an American and when I hear the Pledge of Allegiance I stand tall with my hand over my heart and recite WORD FOR WORD the entire pledge. I'm proud to be an American!!!

Although I'm english, i'd just like to say that the same thing has been happening in England for years. School christmas nativity plays have been cancelled, and many places have band Christmas grottos in favour of 'winter festival' ones. My school was not allowed to sing the national anthemn. America has always been the land of freedom, but to deny its citizens the right to say they are American and are proud of it? Surely the government should be suspicious of those who refuse to pledge allegiance? This is definitely a big deal!