2006-01-07
Patriotic Action = Terrorist Support
I do not wish to sign this Pledge of Allegiance petition for the following reasons:
- The petition seems to have been forwarded in a geometrically expanding progression and such use of the Internet is harmful. If this petition is forward by each successive signer to only two others that then sign and forward it, the White House will be swamped with more then 10 to the 600th power e-mail messages. If successful this would most certainly cripple the White House e-mail servers (and much of the Internet along with it). So it is quite possible that this petition was started by terrorists as a denial of service attack and that signing and forwarding it is helping the evil doers.
- Unlike most tyrants, the President of the United States does not and should not have the power to compel school children and teachers to recite a pledge of allegiance to any icon, document or person. Thus the petition is addressed to the wrong branch of the Government, it should be addressed to Congress.
- The current version of the Pledge of Allegiance containing the phrase "under God", the version most likely to be supported by our current president, is patently in violation of the First Amendment, which states: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion...
Assuming that a Pledge of Allegiance is appropriate in a modern democracy, the petition should ask congress to repeal the illegal change it enacted at the bequest of a Catholic fraternal organization back in 1954. - The Pledge of Allegiance is a nationalistic oath written by socialists at the end of the 19th century. I am very wary of any combination of nationalism and socialism as this combination lead to very dangerous dictatorships in twenty century Europe.
- Traditionally public school education in our country has been regulated by local governments, specifically local school boards. Thus the federal government, to the greatest extent possible, should not interfere in local decisions, except when necessary to protect constitutional, civil and humanitarian rights.
- Our current educational system is already overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge that we need to teach our children. So I believe that it is inappropriate for our public schools to dedicate scarce time out of the already lengthly school day to nationalistic and/or religious ceremony. (Such activities may be appropriate in private schools.
- I think that it is inappropriate to ask children below the age of maturity to recite an oath to icons and/or institution that they may or may not wish to actively support later in their life.
I do believe that the recitation of a oath to uphold the Constitution is an appropriate opening for legislative and judicial sessions as well as during the instillation of officers of the executive branches of government.
I also believe that recitation of prayers and oaths of Allegiance by private organizations at their public events is also appropriate and the right to do so should be protected as one of the most sacred freedoms. Any government or official who seeks to unduly limit these sacred freedoms should be declared a tyrant and opposed, nonviolently if possible, and with force if necessary. Those who risk and lay down their lives to protect these freedoms deserve our utmost respect, unending gratitude and unwavering support.
Carol Sayles <teacher_carol@yahoo.com> wrote:
God Bless America And God Bless Our Troops
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