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Should public schools be required by law to recite the Pledge every morning?

Should reciting the Pledge be mandatory in public schools?

  • Total voters
    97
American said:
If you're very liberal you have to say it twice every morning, and before leaving school. :mrgreen:
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That makes a kind of sense since it means much more to liberals.
 
Josie said:
Every morning the students stand, face the flag, hand over heart and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Should that be mandatory of all public schools in your state? Would you support that legislation? Please tell us why.
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No, it shouldn't. But what should made illegal is passing any law or school policy that does anything to prevent any teacher from starting their class with The Pledge.
 
TheGoverness said:
No, I wouldn't support that. Even though it is sort of mandatory in schools already (at least the one I went to), I think if someone really doesn't want to go along with the pledge, then they shouldn't have to.

People still have the right to freedom of expression, even when what's being expressed is unpopular with most people.

It shouldn't be a mandatory requirement to pledge your allegiance to a flag that's supposed to represent freedom. And honestly, how genuine is a Pledge of Allegiance if you are forced by law to do it?
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Good point. The Pledge should never be mandatory, but neither should it ever be forbidden.
 
Liberty does not spring from an absence of standards. It comes from an understanding of why there must be standards.
 
Josie said:
Every morning the students stand, face the flag, hand over heart and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Should that be mandatory of all public schools in your state? Would you support that legislation? Please tell us why.
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I have objection to it being mandatory in a school providing an individual student could opt out if they wanted to.
 
Josie said:
Every morning the students stand, face the flag, hand over heart and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Should that be mandatory of all public schools in your state? Would you support that legislation? Please tell us why.
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I would support that legislation. I doubt I would support forcing children to make the pledge, but I strongly believe that it is positive if not necessary for the nation and that absenting oneself should be explained in each case.
 
Lutherf said:
The reason it's not disruptive is because there is no expectation of respect in the class. It's kind of like if you never express the propriety of chewing with ones mouth closed at the dinner table a kid who chews with his moth open won't disrupt anything. That, however, doesn't mean that it's setting the kid up for success in his future.
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Right, because employers ask all the time in interviews: "Can you recite the pledge for us?" "How much do you love this country?"
 
Josie said:
Every morning the students stand, face the flag, hand over heart and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Should that be mandatory of all public schools in your state? Would you support that legislation? Please tell us why.
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I voted no, but I would vote yes if instead of the right hand over the heart they did the Bellamy salute instead. :lol:
 
Lutherf said:
Yes. They should also be reminded with some regularity of what a Republic is, what Liberty is, what Justice is and what "All" means. They should be reminded that respect for the principles on which this nation was founded and humility before the sacrifice so many made to secure those principles is an important part of preserving those principles for themselves and their progeny.

They need to understand that America isn't a list of presidents and a spot on the map. America is them and respect for the flag is truly a matter of self respect.
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How does a MANDATORY pledge teach children about Liberty? :lol:
 
Geoist said:
Right, because employers ask all the time in interviews: "Can you recite the pledge for us?" "How much do you love this country?"
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If we only asked kids to "love" the country we'd be doing them a disservice. Without a deep and meaningful understanding of what the country is to express "love" is mere lip service.
 
Thorgasm said:
How does a MANDATORY pledge teach children about Liberty? :lol:
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As I said above, Liberty does not arise from a lack of standards. It comes from an understanding of why there must be standards.
 
Lutherf said:
As I said above, Liberty does not arise from a lack of standards. It comes from an understanding of why there must be standards.
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If I force my wife to say "I love you" will it mean as much? You know what standard should be taught? Sincerity.
 
Thorgasm said:
If I force my wife to say "I love you" will it mean as much? You know what standard should be taught? Sincerity.
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I would suggest that if you have to force your wife to say "I love you" then the commitment to the standards upon which you based your relationship are not being met. That may be as much your fault for not having certain expectations as it is hers for not meeting them.

If your interpretation of the Pledge of Allegiance is that it's merely a fancy way of saying "I love America" then you are exactly the kind of person who could use a little brushing up on what "Liberty", "Justice", "Republic" and love all mean.
 
Lutherf said:
I would suggest that if you have to force your wife to say "I love you" then the commitment to the standards upon which you based your relationship are not being met. That may be as much your fault for not having certain expectations as it is hers for not meeting them.
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I would suggest that if you have to force your citizens to say the Pledge of Allegiance then the commitment to the standards upon which you based your relationship are not being met.

Lutherf said:
If your interpretation of the Pledge of Allegiance is that it's merely a fancy way of saying "I love America" then you are exactly the kind of person who could use a little brushing up on what "Liberty", "Justice", "Republic" and love all mean.
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Words don't mean crap. Actions do.
 
radcen said:
In a similar vein, I hate when I see parents dress their kids up and give them some sort of protest sign for a demonstration of whatever kind. The kid has no idea what the issue is about.
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Are you saying most 6-year-olds don't have a position on the TPP?

:)
 
Lutherf said:
If we only asked kids to "love" the country we'd be doing them a disservice. Without a deep and meaningful understanding of what the country is to express "love" is mere lip service.
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There is nothing deep about training a child to recite a few words over and over again. A monkey can be trained to do repetitive tasks.
 
Josie said:
Every morning the students stand, face the flag, hand over heart and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Should that be mandatory of all public schools in your state? Would you support that legislation? Please tell us why.
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Yes. I think inculcating patriotism & civic pride is important and that ritual can play an invaluable role in supporting that objective. I wouldn't punish students who refuse but I would require the ceremony be held.
 
Sometimes i think people take the pledge or singing the national anthem way too serious. I really feel that people think that participating in reciting the pleg or singing is a forum of religion. And if someone doesnt conform while these activities are happening, they sh*t all over those that dont wish to participate. It reminds me of the christians.
Just look at Colin.




Kids have no clue what it means anyway. And the cons talk about indoctrination on the left. pffftt!!!
 
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Josie said:
Every morning the students stand, face the flag, hand over heart and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Should that be mandatory of all public schools in your state? Would you support that legislation? Please tell us why.
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No. A couple of different ways.

1. This is a perfect place for centralized government to butt out of state or local decision making.

2. The Pledge is creepy, dumb, and has a whiff of fascism to it. If we are going to pledge allegiance to anything, it should be straight to the Constitution. Not the symbol of the Nation.

I say this as someone who deeply, emotionally, has a strong connection to the flag, and who risked his life serving under her. She deserves honor and respect, but not a pledge of allegiance from school children.

Sent from my XT1526 using Tapatalk
 
Require schools to say the pledge?

Sure, if you want to.

Require students to say the pledge?

No.
 
Thorgasm said:
I would suggest that if you have to force your citizens to say the Pledge of Allegiance then the commitment to the standards upon which you based your relationship are not being met.
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If you've never set the standard you can't reasonably expect it to be met.
 
Geoist said:
There is nothing deep about training a child to recite a few words over and over again. A monkey can be trained to do repetitive tasks.
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How many times do I need to repeat "and remind them of the meaning..." before it sticks?
 
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