Pledge to Mexico in US School
Andy (Executive Editor) | September 23, 2006 - 1:34 pm
News:
The principal of an elementary school instructed his students to stand during the recitation of a pledge to the Mexican flag during a diversity assembly recently, and he’s been trying to backtrack ever since.”We absolutely refuse to stand up and pledge allegiance to another country’s flag,” a mother whose daughter attends the school told talk show host Chris Baker on AM 740 KTRH radio. “Where is the sensitivity to the country and to the troops and the men and women that have fought and died for this country?”
Views:
Let me preface this that my views on this issue are in no way impacted by the illegal immigration issue or any other current events. I would be just as outraged is the pledge was to Canada, Sweden, the United Kingdom, China, Japan, Taiwan, Germany, Australia, or any other foreign country.
I am outraged to a level almost beyond words. I don?t really care what flag people pledge to on their own time. I respect the right of foreign nationals to not partake in a pledge to the flag of the United States of America. But for a US government agency (in this case a public school) to force this total and utter nonsense of a pledge to a foreign flag on anyone is simply ludicrous. For them to force this on to kids between the ages of five and ten, on the other hand, is beyond anything I can imagine. Most children in that age group are not going to be able to make the connection and realize the impact of what they are saying or being told.
If it were up to me, the principal would be put on administrative leave until the mess settles down and a full and complete investigation into the motive behind the pledge is determined. I find it hard to believe that such a pledge was done entirely in the name of diversity and not with some political motive or influence, both of which have no place in a public school.
Really, does it make any sense? At a time when the Pledge of Allegiance is hardly allowed in public schools, should we really allow a pledge to Mexico?
Common Sense:
I?m not sure this even needs a mention, but public schools and government agencies should never require (or ?encourage?) anyone to take a pledge or give an oath to a foreign flag.
Happy Birthday to Me!
Andy (Executive Editor) | September 15, 2006 - 7:49 pm
Normally, I try not to blog about my life or personal events, but I feel that this one deserves it.
Yesterday was my 18th birthday. Yes, the big 18. That’s not really important, though. What is important is that I registered to vote. Come November I’ll finally be able to have a say in the world of politics that I’ve been interested in for years!
That’s right Oregon, another Republican has been added to the ranks of your electorate! Read the rest of this entry »
September 11: Five Years Later
Andy (Executive Editor) | September 11, 2006 - 4:36 pm
I’m not going to politicize this. I’m not going to get on a soap box and preach about it. This day is far too somber. I simply offer my thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families. Read the rest of this entry »
“America Weakly” shows what might happen if the Democrats win
Andy (Executive Editor) | September 10, 2006 - 5:01 pm
The Republican National Committee launched a new website and ad campaign, called America Weakly, this past Thursday. The site is a satirical news site, offering many ‘what if’ stories about the coming years if the Democrats were to take Congress in 2006
With such stories as “Just Say ?No?: Dems Celebrate End of Bush Security Measures”, “History! Impeachment Hearings Begin”, and “Promise Kept! Tax Cut Repeal Passes House”, we get a real look into what is a fairly plausible reality.
Although I take it more as humor than anything else, some of the points - and terrible ones at that - which are raised could very well bring problems in the future. Regardless of your political stance, I urge you to take a look at the site and watch the introductory video.
http://wwwamericaweakly.com
Site updates: I’m back
Andy (Executive Editor) | September 9, 2006 - 3:47 pm
First of all, I?d like to apologize for the lack of updates, but I?ve been busy with school starting this week ? hard to believe that I?m a senior already, that next year I?ll be in college. As you may well know, the days leading up to school can be hectic and the first week can be exhausting. I?m doing much better now and I?ll make every effort to maintain a fairly steady posting schedule.
I have, however, been making some changes to the site. I?ve added a lot of JavaScript, such as the now collapsible menu bar on the left side of the page and the comment form which remains hidden until you?re ready to make that all important comment. My hope is that this will simplify the page layout and make the site easier to navigate. Load times should not be impacted, negatively or positively, by these changes.
With that in mind, I?ve also eliminated the blogroll links from all pages except the homepage, greatly decreasing load times across the site. Some other cleanup/optimization to my template should also decrease the loading time slightly, especially on slower connections.
I?ll be back with actual content updates soon, but I thought I?d just give the world a little update on the blog and myself to tide everyone over.
