School nurse refused to treat student who didn’t stand for Pledge of Allegiance

originally posted by: HomerinNC
I do disagree with the rest of you folk that downgrade the Pledge, if you dont like it, thats fine, dont demean it for of those that still like it.

I think its great if an adult chooses it and chooses to honor the flag.

I don't think children should pledge to anything political.

originally posted by: HomerinNC
I do disagree with the rest of you folk that downgrade the Pledge, if you dont like it, thats fine, dont demean it for of those that still like it.

I think its great if an adult chooses it and chooses to honor the flag.

I don't think children should pledge to anything political.

I disagree that this is an issue of patriotism. This is an issue of being forced to participate in compulsory group homage to a symbol.

It is not clear if she objected because of what the symbol represents or because of the act of performing group homage to the symbol.

When I think back to the months following 9/11 I have to cringe at the amount of random flag waving. It was a sign of solidarity at first and thats why we did it....that was AWESOME...Then it got weird. We were just waving flags around with nothing really bringing more meaning to the thing (our country) that that symbol represents.

My friend and I even went so far as to get a near full size flag mast and put it into his Honda prelude sticking out the sunroof with a flag so big that it should have gone on top of a state building. It was HUGE, and we drove around with music blasting, honking and cheering on people in uniform, people saluting it, or just anyone that was moved by it .....it was cool because we saw first hand that feeling of solidarity.

We took it down after a week, because it lost its meaning. We were then dishonoring the flag....not the symbol, but what it represented.

You can be a great American and not pledge your allegiance. I just salute it now every now and again. I stay silent with my hand over my heart when our national anthem is played. Out of respect I do so for ANY national anthem from ANY country.

Just because I dont sing the national anthem should I be called un-American? Whats the difference between not singing and not pledging?

I will stand for our anthem and pledges, but thats just because it feels natural to stand out of respect. I wouldnt bat an eye at someone not standing for them though. I hold my hand over my heart and stay silent for the same reason, it just feels right. Again I wouldnt think anything if someone didint.

Patriotism isnt demonstrated by ceremonial acts towards symbols. It is demonstrated in much more REAL ways.

Few things more disgusting than patriotic/religious indoctrination of children. People should be applauding this girls courage.

a reply to: trollz

I'm the last person you want to try Fascist scare tactics on.

I've already been through things no human being should ever endure at the hands of those who shouldn't have power given unto them, but thanks for invoking Godwin's Law. Always makes for a nice hit-piece.

Not to mention that the original pledge did include the Roman Salute far before Hitler took it upon himself to employ the same gesture in his ideological campaign, but then again, what do I know? I'm just some random idiot online who went through the public education system, saluted the flag and really understood what I was getting into and what America stands for and should continue to stand for and then moved on to self-study and actually took an interest in learning as opposed to just reacting out of inflamed passions and misguided group-think.

Ironic, considering the whole Reich thing was totally about that whole "inflamed passionate group-think" in and of itself, but when you guys gang up and do it - it seems to be perfectly kosher, amirite?

Seriously.
Let's not be total idiots here.

Everyone wants the Freedom, but no one wants the Responsibility.
It's a two-way street.

Point made yet?

originally posted by: dr1234
a reply to: AreUKiddingMe

Patriotism is archaic. It's a form of enslavement, plain and simple. I do not pledge allegiance to our criminal goverment, and never will until we get this mess cleaned up. I have respect for my heritage, but this ain't your daddy's America.

Just going to sit there and hope someone else cleans up the mess? That's the problem right there. A big mess and nobody to clean it up. You have a weird view of patriotism, to me. May I ask your general age and what country you live in? If you don't like America, hit the trail and don't let the door hit ya where the Good Lord split ya. Pull yer pants up too. People don't value something they never had to struggle for. Spoon-fed video-game virtual reality generation is what we have today.

a reply to: Willtell

" Were not talking about patriotism were talking about compulsion "


You don't have Explain that to me , I Know Exactly where You are Coming From ....................

originally posted by: GENERAL EYES
a reply to: Domo1

Oh pssh.

It takes a Village to raise the next generation of Community Citizens.

If the young lady is going through her rebellious phase while figuring things out, so be it. I started questioning the whole "pledge" thing in the fourth grade, and while I kept my personal position silent, I still went along with the actions of the class and didn't feel the need to make a freaking scene about it.

Some kids just hate when the tables are turned and the Elders dish out the same attitude.

Seriously. This call for firing the Nurse is about as rational of me insisting that the "sad face" mark I got back in Elementary School for spelling the "i" in my name with a circle instead of a dot was somehow psychologically damaging or something.

This young lady will get over it eventually, learn from the experience, and be a wiser person for it one day.

The pledge is not a binding contract, it's a gesture of good faith and group cohesion ya silly Commies!

I think you mostly missed the real issue here. It's not about developing a sense of community, or vilifying the nurses support of the pledge (regardless of how communist/totalitarian it actually is today).

The issue is that the child was refused the right to call her parents, and then the nurse demanded to "have a long conversation" with the girl.

If this were my child, I would walk into the school, SLAP the living piss out of that nurse and plea bargain the assault charges!

YES I'm serious. People need to wake the f*ck up already. It's not their place to have long conversations and try to hijack the parenting role from the actual parents.

Lawsuit time

Last I remember, and I graduated high school in 1989, no one was FORCED to say the Pledge, I remember a few fellow students didnt participate, and there were no repercussions.

originally posted by: HomerinNC
Last I remember, and I graduated high school in 1989, no one was FORCED to say the Pledge, I remember a few fellow students didnt participate, and there were no repercussions.

Last night I was trying to post and they were doing maintenance.

I read the pledge lawsuit by the lawyer who is going to sue the school. It appears that she quoted several laws regarding this. The girl was in her legal rights to not participate or pledge.

That's the law. While we might not agree with those laws, it is the law. The girl was within her rights. The nurse, she should have allowed the girl to call her mother.

I don't know if other people read the link to the lawyer's letter to the school.

a reply to: 8675309jenny

So, without even knowing the details of what the girl was complaining of, or how frequent her nurse visits were because she wanted out of class for whatever reason, you're telling us all you'd resort to physical violence.

Interesting. Thanks for showing how much of a level head you've got there.

Gee, if I lashed out like that over things I've been forced to do over the years I'd get an immediate death sentence.

Good thing this is all just conversation, right?

*sheesh*

That should be ex-school nurse.

Now you see how violence happens.

originally posted by: Annee

I think its great if an adult chooses it and chooses to honor the flag.

I don't think children should pledge to anything political.

I think it is great that people who dislike America leave it for some other country...

originally posted by: tadaman
Patriotism isnt demonstrated by ceremonial acts towards symbols. It is demonstrated in much more REAL ways.

So lets say you disrespect the flag, you disagree with the national anthem etc, how do you "show" your Patriotism?

originally posted by: Xtrozero

originally posted by: tadaman
Patriotism isnt demonstrated by ceremonial acts towards symbols. It is demonstrated in much more REAL ways.

So lets say you disrespect the flag, you disagree with the national anthem etc, how do you "show" your Patriotism?

By treating a child who doesn't know any better. Do your damn job and keep your political views to the adults. Now what?

Blind patriotism! You will be sent to the front lines and love that #!

originally posted by: HomerinNC
Last I remember, and I graduated high school in 1989, no one was FORCED to say the Pledge, I remember a few fellow students didnt participate, and there were no repercussions.

You didn't say it in grade school? There was a time that each classroom had a flag and the school children were taught to honor the flag, is that really a bad thing? No one really choose not to participate because they wanted to participate...

Kids are a empty page and we fill those pages, one way or another.

originally posted by: LOSTinAMERICA

By treating a child who doesn't know any better. Do your damn job and keep your political views to the adults. Now what?

I'm not agreeing with the nurse, but "kids" are a lot smarter than you think... So we keep our kids in a bubble and then when they turn 18 we expect them to somehow "decide"...lol that happens a long time before 18.