[thechat] More Pledge news

[Plunkett, Matt]

Hrm.   I was looking at your blog Janet...if that is what is linked at the
bottom of your post anyway, and I it ends with this excerpt:

"What this has to do with the Pledge ruling is simple: we are becoming a
society that allows a tiny minority (atheists who don't want to say "under
God", the kids we're not inviting to the party) to dictate behavior for the
group at large, so that the minority doesn't get its feelings hurt. Well
buck up, folks. Sometimes you just have to say, "I didn't get my way" and
get on with your day. "

I suppose I should look up what fraction of the US population is Wiccan,
Jewish, any Eastern religion, Muslim, agnostic, or atheistic...but I doubt
it's a "tiny minority".    It's just not the majority.  Basically, the
pledge makes no sense to folks of those faith structures...or to anyone else
who isn't a Christian.  It's illegal for teachers to force kids to say
it...but I think it's safe to say that the Pledge is _important_.  Why else
would so many states and school districts require that their days start with
its recitation?  It's a national symbol that to some extent defines our idea
of patriotism...and yet, it excludes all non-Christian religions through its
text.  If the US wants to decide that it IS a Christian state, with
Christian values...that's one thing.  But you can't say we separate church
and state and then argue that our public school students should be saying
that our nation is "under God".

Those kids we aren't inviting to the party are citizens, and they and their
parents are just as important to the country as any Christian.  Their voice
should be heard just as loud and mesh just as well with our nationalistic
message.  It's convenient to argue that people should just accept it when
it's your values that are being upheld as superior to others.

	-----Original Message-----
	From:	Janet Green [SMTP:JGreen at desmoinesmetro.com]
	Sent:	Friday, June 28, 2002 12:06 PM
	To:	thechat at lists.evolt.org
	Subject:	RE: [thechat] More Pledge news
	<snip>
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