Student Doesn't Have to Say 'Pledge'

big papa: We are NOT one nation under God. We are a nation under many Gods. We are a nation under no God. The fact that the Pledge of Allegiance was rewritten in 1954 to include the words "Under God" was and still is a violation of the 1st amendment that says "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;..." This country was not founded on Christian beliefs as so many of the deceived citizens believe. It was founded on deist beliefs, which basically is the belief in a Supreme Being but that reason without the need of any ONE organized religion be used to guide people toward spiritual enlightenment. This country was founded on the belief that people can choose their own path toward that spiritual enlightenment or they can choose no path at all. I hear all the time the words "This country was founded on Christian beliefs" which is absolutely without a doubt FALSE. Our Congress admits the falsehood of this notion when it passed the Treaty of Tripoli in 1797. It reads "As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries." So sir, we ARE NOT one nation under God. If you don't like it...YOU LEAVE. Please go to some Islamic country, where your belief in God is mandated otherwise you face death. I'll gladly stay here in the U.S., a country that allows me to choose my religion for myself...or not to choose one at all.

This young lady is almost adult and has the right to believe or not to believe or to follow a religion or to not follow any religion at all. I am a non-practicing Catholic and I say, "Hurrah" for her freedom of choice to do what she feels is right for her.

I am a 48 (almost 49) year old male who used to attend the Warren (Ohio) City Schools, many, many years ago!!! I can recall a time when I refused to participate in reciting the pledge (a very long time prior to banning prayer, and all the other bans, from our schools). I used to be sent to the principal's office on a rather regular basis...eventually, the school system got the point!! They ended up expelling me from the entire school system, but due to the fact that education was compulsory, they provided me with a teacher who used to come to my home every day for 5 1/2 hours each day to privately instruct me. Now, in this day and age, I find my reasons for not wanting to participate in this pledge was probably misplaced at the time, however, I still do not believe that a student who fully understands the purpose of the pledge and all its implications should be free to make the pledge (or not to do so). Allow the freedom of speech to prevail as the law and the Constitution provides...if we pick and choose which laws or Constitutional provisions we will enforce and which we don't like (and wont enforce), then what will be next!?

Isn't this a double standard! My daughter was told she would be punished if she continued to say a prayer with her friends before lunch in the school. I was told their was no place for religion in our school system. Now we are punishing them for not using the word God or respecting the pledge of allegiance with its reference to religion! What are we teaching our children? Seems to me that they are damned if they do and damned if they don't. Make up your minds! Don't condemn this young lady until you understand what she feels and why she has come to feel this way. If her school also bans religion in the school they may have been the ones to help contribute to her way of thinking.

Next thing you know they will be walking down the halls smoking a joint because its a "medical necessity." Give me a break, that school should NOT back down. Students already disrespect the teachers and school officials enough and get away with it because no lazy parent wants to admit their kid is a terror and furthermore wants to take the time, COMMITMENT and energy to instill consistent discipline and some type of half-baked values into their kid. The ACLU needs to be reminded that they are not the Supreme Court! She is a kid and should follow the same rules as all the other kids! You dont see the ACLU standing up for the rights of Christian students to not have to participate in science because of their beliefs about evolution, do you?

AMEN big papa, amen. I am so sick and tired of these people. This is a 17 year old kid. My father would have kicked my behind if I had pulled a stunt like this.

WE ARE....... ONE NATION UNDER GOD !!!!! IF YOU DONT LIKE IT.....LEAVE !!!!!!