Colorado Students Walk Out During Pledge, Recite Own Version

[RedGlitter]

Thursday , September 27, 2007





BOULDER, Colo. —

About 50 Boulder High School students walked out of class Thursday to protest the daily reading of the Pledge of Allegiance and recited their own version, omitting "one nation, under God." The students say the phrase violates the constitutional separation of church and state.

They also say the daily reading of the pledge over the school public address system at the start of the second class takes away from education time and is ignored or mocked by some students.

A state law passed in 2004 requires schools to offer the opportunity to recite the pledge each day but does not require students to participate.

The protesting students, members of the Student Worker Club, want administrators to hold the pledge reading in the auditorium during each of the school's two lunch periods for any students who want to participate.

Otherwise, they said, they plan to walk out each Thursday when the pledge is read and recite their version, which omits the reference to God and adds allegiance to constitutional rights, diversity and freedom, among other things.

"Boulder High has a highly diverse population, not all of whom believe in God, or one God," said Emma Martens, a senior and president of the club, which has about a dozen members.

"We didn't think it was fair for the whole school to have to listen to it. It's almost religious oppression," she said.

Principal Bud Jenkins told the Camera newspaper on its Web site Thursday the pledge will not be moved, but added he was proud of the students for standing up for their beliefs.

It was not immediately clear what discipline, if any, the protesting students would face.





Why do they require discipline?! I personally love this as I was reprimanded by a teacher for refusing to stand or say the pledge in high school. I felt and still do that it created nothing but militant conformity and was wrongfully forced on people. I still refuse to say it today and always will refuse to say it.

What's your take on this issue?

[Richard Bell]

Wasn't the "under God" line a recent addition? 1940s? 1950s?

We have a line in our national anthem that says "God keep our land Glorious and free".

I've always been surprised people haven't kicked at that one.

[RedGlitter]

Yes, I think it was in the 50s they added God to the pledge.

That's an interesting point, Richard, about your anthem. This is only my opinion but if that were in my anthem, I wouldn't object, at least not too much. If I didn't believe in (a) God then I might but I do and the line doesn't specify which or whose God so I'm ok with that. Even our

America the Beautiful" sings "God shed his grace on thee" and I don't object to that because I relate that to the "amber waves of grain" and such, rather than how the country's run. But when we get down to "one nation Under God" then I start getting itchy. Who's to say all this nation are believers? Plus it presumes we all believe in the same God and that offends me because IMO again, God is as personal to a person as their DNA is, I don't feel I share the same God with everybody else. But mostly I object to starting little kids off in the mornings by forcing them to promise their loyalty to a country they can't even comprehend. They don't know what they're even saying, plus there isn't "liberty and justice for all."

I even object to God in state mottoes. I live in Arizona and the motto on the state seal is Ditat Deus or, "God Enriches." I say leave that God stuff off of everything.

[Pheasy]

I have to say I was surprised when we first arrived over here, that even at my daughters pre-school (thats kids aged 3-5) had to recite it every day.

[Pheasy]

We ask God to save our Queen - wonder what shes been up to :wah:

[YZGI]

ThePheasant;701604 wrote: We ask God to save our Queen - wonder what shes been up to :wah:

[Pheasy]

YZGI;701612 wrote:


:wah::wah:

Possibly, she does need saving for that one - Bless me father for I sinned - 'One picked ones booger and flicked it at ones royal subjects'.

Or maybe it was because she gave birth.....

[YZGI]

ThePheasant;701620 wrote: :wah::wah:

Possibly, she does need saving for that one - Bless me father for I sinned - 'One picked ones booger and flicked it at ones royal subjects'.



Or maybe it was because she gave birth.....
She won't let him become king so he decided to be an Indian chief.:wah:

[Galbally]

Yes, I am a catholic and I notice that one of our favorite prayers refer to this alleged "God" individual who apartently is in a place called "Heaven" (sounds expensive to me) and also has a "kingdom" that is going to "come" at some non-defined point, he expects us to keep "earth" in at least as good a state as this "heaven" property and provides us with some form of bread based food on a daily basis, he is interested in the seamier side of our lives which he has some power to forgive us for seemingly, and we are assured intends to deliver us from evil, though he is open-minded about leading us into temptation.

At present I have no information as to the exact wherabouts of this person at the present time, though various locations have been mooted in terms of signtings such as: in a tabernacle belonging to some Jewish gentlemen, a churh near a small hill in Israel, a large black stone in a town called Mecca in Saudi Arabia, under a Bunyan Tree in India, and somewhere near a large ring of stones in Southern England. Though generally he is believed to live somewhere directly above us, so he must have access to a large aircraft of some kind (perhaps an Airship?), some even believe he has access to some form of space faring craft and regularly visits poor-ish people living generally in America, though sometimes in Mexico or Brazil.

What his other interests are are not known, though it has been mooted that he is a creative individual working in the multi-disciplinary field of space and time, he has some help also including his son Jesus whom was the result of a fling he had with a woman in Palestine in 0 AD, as well as some Angels, lesser gods, demons, saints, prophets, etc etc. Interestingly many people in history have worked for this God person usually on a non-contractual basis, though some profit has been had aparently. He is credited with having written or ghost-written several major books including the Bible, the koran, the Torah, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Gilgamesh epic, perhaps even the Aenid and the Illiad, and is mentioned in quite a few other works also.

He aparently loves everyone, personally, and people celebrate this fact by inventing various ways of loving and worshiping him back and subsequently killing each other to find out which way is best. What God himself feels about this is unclear, as he has been unavailable for comment for at least 4.7 billion years.

Interesting.