Winston-Salem Journal LTE's TH 12/22/11

Sum It Up

The Sum It Up question from Sunday was: Do you think public-school students should be able to opt out of saying the Pledge of Allegiance even if their families have no religious objection to it?

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The issue about the current pledge policy is that it is in violation of both state and federal laws. The proposed change is not to discourage participation but to allow students to opt out, quietly and respectfully, if they do not want to recite the pledge for reasons of their own, while continuing to have a time for reciting the pledge every morning.

Real patriotism does not need to be forced! We are patriots because we love this country and believe in its shared principals, not because we are forced into compliance.

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ELISABETH M. MOTSINGER

The writer is a member of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school board.

— the editor

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The flag of our United States of America is an honored symbol of the freedoms that were fought for and won. I think opting out of the Pledge of Allegiance is not an option, especially in a free educational system of learning.

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LOUIS JONES

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No. It should be a daily lesson of the national unity required to maintain our republic form of government, providing we the people with supreme control over government. Only as an informed public, active in the process of selecting those who govern, can we assure individual freedom and universal opportunity, with liberty and justice for all.

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JIM WHEELER

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Maybe a better question: Could disagreements surrounding enforcement lead to potential lawsuits (i.e. ACLU), pushing an already over-burdened educational system into numerous and costly litigations (think class action)?

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SARAH MERRITT

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If a child refuses to stand for the pledge, ask him to leave and mandate his parents pay for education at an institution of their choice, consider moving or standing in honor of all Americans who believe that we live in the greatest country to date on this earth and we need to preserve the tradition of standing during the pledge.

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ROBERT MISIEWICZ

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Whether to allow students to opt out of saying the Pledge of Allegiance is a sensitive question. Many will be offended that a student might choose not to participate. Yet requiring a student to say the pledge is an undeniable restriction on the liberty mentioned in the pledge.

I like the pledge and have always participated when it is said, albeit sometimes awkwardly. What I like best is the part about liberty and justice for all. I like the flag, too. But I can see how some very patriotic students might question parts of the pledge, namely the "under God" and the excessive emphasis on the flag parts. Some might question whether we have adequately addressed issues of liberty and justice. Students, teachers and others could use this issue to discuss in some depth what patriotism is all about.

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EVERETTE HARTZOG

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Absolutely not. If you can't pledge allegiance to this great country you live in, then pledge yourself to an airport and get the hell out of here.

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STEVE SHORE

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When the teacher says stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, then every student who does not stand should be escorted to the principal's office. Whether he or she says the Pledge of Allegiance is up to the student. Bottom Line: The teacher should be in control of her classroom, not the students. Teachers usually get as much respect as they demand.

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NAOMI J. DAVIS

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Why all the fuss over the Pledge of Allegiance in schools? I am 70 years old, and I remember when I was in elementary school there were several students whose faith prevented them from reciting the pledge, so they stood when we did, but they neither placed their hand over their heart nor recited the pledge. They stood while we did as a courtesy to the rest of us.

There is no one forcing these protesters to recite the pledge. How difficult would it be for them to stand quietly during the pledge just to be polite? All they want is to remain slouched in their seats and probably texting. The problem is that the simple acts of courtesy and respect for others have all but disappeared from our society, and that is the shame of it.

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LINDA DIORIO

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Public school students should be required to say the Pledge of Allegiance every day. It appears that we want our children to grow up not believing in God, their country or themselves. Do we want robots or do we want adults with convictions and strong beliefs?

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KAY ANDERSON

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Small or even older children in school cannot really give their consent and don't even understand the pledge they are reciting. On these grounds alone, they should not be required to say the pledge.

Also, in a democratic republic, built on freedom of dissent, the government (schools, whatever) should not require its citizens to pledge allegiance to it. The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects one's right to "refrain from speaking" the pledge or standing (also a form of speech). This has been the conclusion in two court cases: 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Holloman v. Harland, 2004; U.S. District Court, District of Colorado, Lane v. Owens, 2003. Sorry, guys, it's already been settled.

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KAM BENFIELD

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No! The Pledge of Allegiance has nothing to do with religion. It is pledging loyalty to this country. If people can't do that, why are they here? My mother was a legal immigrant who loved this country and became a proud American. Pledging allegiance wouldn't even have been a choice for her. It was a given and she was happy to say it.

This type of loyalty is being eroded by the politically correct crowd who don't have strong principles and whose only allegiance is to themselves. To paraphrase: "If you don't stand for something, you stand for nothing."

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CHRISTINE PULISELIC

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Is saying the Pledge of Allegiance the only means to instill patriotism in students? Or is the ritual of saying the Pledge of Allegiance more important than anything else?

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BOON T. LEE

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The Pledge of Allegiance is recited at the beginning of daily sessions of Congress — following an opening prayer, no less. Many Americans agree that such practices are good for our children. Yet increasingly, public-school curricula and policies are deconstructing and effacing America's traditions, values and history.

Someday, I dare say, progressives hope even to expunge prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance from Congress itself. That's part of what they call "fundamentally transforming the United States of America."

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DEBORAH S. "DEB" PHILLIPS

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Students should be able, for any reason, to opt out of saying the Pledge of Allegiance. No one should be made to pledge allegiance to a piece of cloth, no matter what it stands for. A country that invades another country at the whim of a few crazed warmongers should instill shame in its citizens, not allegiance.

And shame on the Journal for its editorial support for saying the pledge in the belief that it instills patriotism in the students. Patriotism has many detractors. George Bernard Shaw said, "Patriotism is the conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it."

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ANNE PAISLEY