[justshe]

Why not both?

When I was a child, I recited the Pledge daily. Although, at that time, I might not have known the exact meaning of the words, I DID know that this was something special. And because I recited the Pledge daily, my understanding of the words grew WITH me. As I got older, the actual meaning of what I had said, daily, for all those years, became precious.

I think that your statment, "Compulsory patriotism is the best way for kids to grow up NOT loving their county," could not be further from the truth, at least for me. I would bet that many others think the same.

That is NOT to say that teaching the visions of The Founders should NOT be done as well. But I see the necessity of both.

[Dimensio]

I'm confused. It's clear that you support the mandatory recital of th epledge in schools, but are you also saying that you would support requiring all students to participate?

[proudofthesouth]

When I was a child, I recited the Pledge daily. Although, at that time, I might not have known the exact meaning of the words, I DID know that this was something special. And because I recited the Pledge daily, my understanding of the words grew WITH me. As I got older, the actual meaning of what I had said, daily, for all those years, became precious.

Me too. It couldn't have been said better. Thank you for posting.