Pledge Allegiance to the ACLU - This time, it isn't just about "One Nation Under God."

Radiofree West Hartford ^ | August 04, 2003 | Hans Zeiger

[ddodd3329]

The Pledge of Allegiance is doing irreparable harm to the minds and hearts of America's schoolchildren. So alleges an ACLU lawsuit against the State of Colorado for its new law requiring the daily recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools.

This time, it isn't just about "One Nation Under God." Now, the American Civil Liberties Union wants to get rid of the whole pledge. On August 12, the ACLU filed suit in federal district court on behalf of "students and teachers throughout the state" who seem to be offended by the notion of the republic for which the flag stands, unity, liberty, and justice for all.

Mark Silverstein, Legal Director of the ACLU of Colorado, exclaimed, "Public expressions of belief in the ideals of liberty and justice should be voluntary, not coerced. By forcing individuals to pledge allegiance, the Colorado law violates the fundamental freedoms that the American flag is meant to represent."

In context of public schools, the ACLU's "coercion" argument is quite silly. When I took a French class in high school, I had to answer my teacher's questions in French, not Spanish. When each student had to present a book report in English class, there was no option to sit out of the activity or to deliver a rebellious lecture on the evils of reading books.

Yet no one is coerced into saying the Pledge of Allegiance under the current Colorado law. There isn't a Colorado State Patrol division stationed in classrooms on the lookout for unpatriotic students who refuse to stand to salute the flag every morning. No one is being held at gunpoint until they recite the Pledge with proper enunciation and oral punctuation. In fact, students can bring in parent notes to excuse them from reciting the pledge. And religious objectors like Jehovah Witnesses are easily allowed to refrain from saying the creed.

But according to Dr. Allen Chen from University of Denver College of Law, the ACLU's lead attorney in the lawsuit, the plaintiffs are not offended by the Pledge of Allegiance on religious grounds. "Our clients rely on objections of conscience that are separate from religious concerns. By requiring that they recite the pledge despite their objections, the Colorado law violates our clients' free speech rights."

>>>Continued<<<

[LiteKeeper]

INTREP

[jordan8]

Public expressions of belief in the ideals of liberty and justice should be voluntary, not coerced. By forcing individuals to pledge allegiance, the Colorado law violates the fundamental freedoms that the American flag is meant to represent.
What about public expressions of belief in, say, diversity? Shouldn't they also be voluntary, and not coerced?

[thtr]

”Mark Silverstein, Legal Director of the ACLU of Colorado, exclaimed, "Public expressions of belief in the ideals of liberty and justice should be voluntary, not coerced. By forcing individuals to pledge allegiance, the Colorado law violates the fundamental freedoms that the American flag is meant to represent."

Hmm… It seems that the ACLU finally believes that the American flag actually stands for something. They used to think it was an empty symbol that people could burn.

[lilylangtree]

ACLJ beats the ACLU hands down legally. Up with the ACLJ down with ACLU.

[Only1choice____Freedom]

Public expressions of belief in the ideals of liberty and justice should be voluntary, not coerced. By forcing individuals to pledge allegiance, the Colorado law violates the fundamental freedoms that the American flag is meant to represent.

This is a ruse. It has been the law of the land since 1963 that it is voluntary. They have other motives.

[capt. norm]

I remember doing the pledge every day back when I was in school and I don't recall any "irreperable harm" coming to me or any of my fellow students as a result.

Perhapsthe ACLU liberals think that's what made me a conservative (they consider conservativism as a disease) and this is how they can prevent future conservatives from developing.

The ACLU neither lives up to nor deserves it's name. They have always been a front for communist/socialist operatives believing thay can attack this country and destroy it through our own court system.

[cake_crumb]

This is sad and dispicable but not surprising. To understand how the left is destroying our culture in an attempt to destroy our country, read the children's book If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.

Thank you 9th Circuit Court for handing cookies out to all the rodents among us.

[VA_Gentleman]

ACLU = Anti-American Communist Lawyers Union

[longtermmemmory]

never hire a lawyer who is a member of the ACLU.


Ask your lawyer if they are a member.

(national lawyers guild is even worse than aclu. They also recieved donations from the USSR.)

[Im Your Huckleberry]

It is about time for the public to tell these sick b@st@rds we've had enough of their anti-American bull----.

[Im Your Huckleberry]

Too true.

The ACLU is a pathetic, vile, despicable organization of villains½{Ôdg=

[aimhigh]

ACLU of Colorado, exclaimed, "Public expressions of belief

If they are all for being against coerced beliefs, then they should be opposed to government sponsered diversity (beliefs) traning.

[Constitutional Patriot]

The ACLU is a left-wing advocacy group with communist origins with the mission of doing whatever it can to dismantle traditional American values.

[INSENSITIVE GUY]

I would like to see every single office of the aclu in America shut down.They serve no useful purpose.

[CedarDave]

Earlier thread on this topic:

ACLU challenges Pledge