Posted on 11/10/2006 8:44:34 AM PST by FreedomNeocon
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Student leaders at a California college have touched off a furor by banning the Pledge of Allegiance at their meetings, saying they see no reason to publicly swear loyalty to God and the U.S. government.
The move by Orange Coast College student trustees, the latest clash over patriotism and religion in American schools, has infuriated some of their classmates -- prompting one young woman to loudly recite the pledge in front of the board on Wednesday night in defiance of the rule.
"America is the one thing I'm passionate about and I can't let them take that away from me," 18-year-old political science major Christine Zoldos told Reuters.
"The fact that they have enough power to ban one of the most valued traditions in America is just horrible," Zoldos said, adding she would attend every board meeting to salute the flag.
The move was lead by three recently elected student trustees, who ran for office wearing revolutionary-style berets and said they do not believe in publicly swearing an oath to the American flag and government at their school. One student trustee voted against the measure, which does not apply to other student groups or campus meetings.
The ban follows a 2002 ruling by a federal appeals court in San Francisco that said forcing school children to recite the pledge was unconstitutional because of the phrase "under God." The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the ruling on procedural grounds but left the door open for another challenge.
"That ('under God') part is sort of offensive to me," student trustee Jason Bell, who proposed the ban, told Reuters. "I am an atheist and a socialist, and if you know your history, you know that 'under God' was inserted during the McCarthy era and was directly designed to destroy my ideology."
Bell said the ban largely came about because the trustees didn't want to publicly vow loyalty to the American government before their meetings. "Loyalty ought to be something the government earns through performance, not through reciting a pledge," he said.
Martha Parham, a spokeswoman for the Coast Community College District, said her office had no standing on the student board and took no position on the flag salute ban.
"If their personal belief is that they don't want to say the Pledge of Allegiance, the district certainly isn't going to dictate what they do," she said.
More than 28,000 students attend the community college, located in conservative Orange County, California, south of Los Angeles.
performance-based loyalty? pure idiocy.
Whoever is conducting the meeting or class should have the option of deciding whether or not the pledge should be given if it is not an agenda item.
I use the following introduction, speaking each word slowly and clearly, emphasizing the word 'INVITE.'
Thus:
'Ladies and gentlemen. I INVITE you to stand and join me in saluting and pledging allegiance to the flag of our country.'
Then I turn towards the flag and recite the pledge. That's it. Never had a problem.
Even if it is an agenda item, I use the same intro. It is an INVITATION, as it should be -- not a command.
Works for me.
Yeah, it's one thing to say that reciting the pledge is not mandatory, but it's quite another to outright ban it. I went to that school in the 80s and it was a normal mix of people. Now I don't even recognize the place. It's nothing more than Berkeley South. And this campus is in "conservative" Orange County. Hah! What next? Loretta Sanchez statues in the quad?!? Just raze the whole thing and provide extra parking for the swap meet and fairgrounds across the street.
Here's an idea. We need to tell this asshole (Jason) that we are now forcing all socialists named Jason to wear hockey masks 24/7 for all eternity.
I am announcing my hiring ban on all graduates from Orange Coast College.
This a two year community college in South Orange County, CA, normally a conservative area. The wannabe Professors are having their impact I guess.
Sad, isn't it? But that's what they are being taught in schools. Yet these communists are within strike range of their communist pals. go figure.
When Jorge Bush signs the amnesty bill we will be blessed with the Mexican Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish. Gosh, I love multiculturalism!
Who's going to sign up to violate the "ban", so we can see what the consequences of exercising free speech are?
Found this.
The pledge was originally written by a socialist. You know, if we could convince the libs of that, they would probably switch sides and love the pledge!
"The Pledge of Allegiance was written for the popular children's magazine Youth's Companion by socialist author and Baptist minister Francis Bellamy on September 7, 1892. The owners of Youth's Companion were selling flags to schools, and approached Bellamy to write the Pledge for their advertising campaign. It was marketed as a way to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus arriving in the Americas and was first published on the following day."
"Bellamy's original Pledge read as follows: I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all., and was seen by some as a call for national unity and wholeness after the divisive Civil War. Bellamy had initially also considered using the words equality and fraternity but decided they were too controversial since many people still opposed equal rights for women and African Americans. Bellamy said that the purpose of the pledge was to teach obedience to the state as a virtue."
“This House will under no circumstances fight for King and Country.”
Then it is not entitled to any benefit/protection it offers either.
Yet these "socialists" who contribute nothing, ask for a share of everything. In the "everyone for themselves world" don't these idiots realize they are the ones who end up dead first? I can hardly wait for society to collapse. This country needs a good cleanup.
I am an agnostic (leaning atheist, but not quite sure) and I always recite the plege with pride. The concept of God doesn't offend me and if it helps people be better people, so much the better. The idiots who quote "separation of church and state" don't even understand the origin of the phrase and how it's been intentionally misinterpreted. Jason Sphincterlicker needs to read the Constitution and understand it for what it is. He also needs to read the Federalist Papers to understand the intent behind the wording of the Constsution. UNDER GOD. UNDER GOD. UNDER GOD. Come on, folks. Chant it with me. It doesn't hurt at all.
I wonder how many of these rebels are going to school on the government dole? If they are, I say call in the grant or loan and let them make their own way. I mean you can't accept bread from tyrants while your grousing that they are starving the masses can you ?
"and was directly designed to destroy my ideology."
It destroys itself quite nicely.
Hey Jason, McCarthy was right.
"That ('under god') part is sort of offensive to me," student trustee Jason Bell, who proposed the ban, told Reuters.
Bell proposes the ban when an issue is *sort of offensive*?
Bell needs to plant his bum in a speech class desk, and learn more about public speaking.
Bell: [on under God] ..'Under God' was inserted during the McCarthy era and was direcly designed to destroy my ideology." He desires to deprive other Americans the right to say the Pledge. Surf over to www.homeofheroes.com
God bless Christine Zoldos!
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