Amazing, Just . . . Amazing

patriotism, pledge, allegiance, arkansas,

The controversy: A 10-year-old in Arkansas decides that he doesn't want to say the Pledge of Allegiance, because liberty and justice are not truly for all in this country. The teacher completely loses her shit, boy gets a little disrespectful, principal gets involved, mom gets called, media gets informed, and here we are.

The Supreme Court decided 40 years ago that children have the right to refuse to say the Pledge of Allegiance on moral or religious grounds. (Jehovah's Witnesses won't say the Pledge, for example.) So the teacher's insistance that the boy say the Pledge was totally inappropriate.

As are the comments to the article.

Proving that the First Amendment is not for everyone:

The words coming out of this childs mouth are his parents......for what ever reason....they are teaching him disrespect and I hope that he is removed from the school and his parents are ran out of the country. What a disgusting example of parenting. They can take their brat child, their gay rights, their disrespect for our country and leave, give up their citizenship as they must do and rot in another country. Be gone with you and your disrespect for our country.

Using your freedoms is attention-seeking:

He said it the whole school year up until now. Of course his mother put him up to this for the attention.Everyone is going around exercising their rights, getting on the news and in papers and internet. Another bunch of attention seekers. His mom should be kicking him in the a$$ to be an American.

GAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!

America is a free country, but we are taking so much for granted in this free country. Yes, we have rights, but why would we want to not pledge the awesome red, white and blue, that so many have laid down their lives for. Even the gay ones that don't ask don't tell in our armed services. I am sure there have been gays killed in our wars, so why wouldn't they want to pledge the flag? This child has been led to believe more about the rights of gays, then the gays that have lost their life for that flag too. I do not support the gay life style, God forbids it in the Bible. But, sadly there are gays in our military, and that flag stands for our free American that all have fouhgt for. That kid is being led astay and his mom just likes the publicity she is getting through all of this. Which is so sad.

A child shall lead us- to hell!

It is completely awesome thats some little sh1t thats still sucking snot can down grade everything that our forefathers fought and died for and whats better yet is the fact that his parents support him...
America as I once knew it is GONE !!!

Constitution be damned- support our troops!

CONSTITUTIONAL OR NOT, MAYBE HIS PARENTS SHOULD TAKE A TRIP TO IRAQ TO SEE WHY IT IS IMPORTANT AND WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO BE AN AMERICAN.

The Pledge has won wars! Lots of them! Read books, you'll see!

This has got to be one of the saddest stories I have ever read. Not only did this child disrespect his teacher, it is being condoned by his parent. The news anchor laughed at the child for using such disrespect to his teacher. One thing that might be helpful to both the father and the child is to go back and read some history books....if it were not for American soldiers who not only pledged allegience to their flag, but actually walked the walk, this country would be very different today...we would probably be living in a country with very few if any rights. America is the greatest country in the world. For those who do not understand just how great this country is, perhaps it would be a valuable learning experience to travel to some other countries where people really don't have any rights...why do you think so many people want citizenship here?until one is well traveled and well read, it is difficult to understand what a great country we live in. It is easy to sit in your den and believe everything that is being reported on television rather than seeing for yourself and to take for granted what our soldiers have sacrificed to keep our country great.

Oh noez, someday he'll be voting for Democrats!

The little prick needs to move to some third world communist nation if he thinks its so bad here. Its rif raf like this thats grows up to be liberal trash polititions that want to CHANGE everything. F'ing sickining!

We'll end with questioning the sexuality of a 10-year-old:

c'mon people either his dad is gay "notice his mom not with them" or the little boy is gay its a given you can totally tell....

In God We Trust

treaty, tripoli, pledge, allegiance, god, christian, religion, US, united, states,
As far as I can tell, you only need to get about three people in front of a camera in order to have one of them assert that the US is a "Christian Nation". They cite as evidence anything that even mentions god, including such perennial favorites as "In God We Trust" on our money, "under god" in our pledge, and the mentions of god in the Declaration of Independence .

I thought I would mention the history of some of these "proofs" that the US is a Christian Nation.

In God We Trust:

The motto IN GOD WE TRUST was placed on United States coins in 1864 largely because of the increased religious sentiment existing during the Civil War. That would be 88 years after the founding of the United States.

The Pledge of Allegiance:

The Pledge of Allegiance did not have the words "under God" in it until 1954- 178 years after the founding of the United States.

The Treaty of Tripoli*:

Unequivocably states that the United States was not ever a "Christian nation".

With slightly over 75% of the US self identifying as christian, the US may well be a nation of christians, but we are not now, nor have we ever been, a christian nation.

*a treaty with pirates. muslim pirates.

Why Do Atheists Hate America?

god, gay, atheism, atheist, atheophobia, theocracy, theism, religion, christian, fundamentalism, fundamentalist, fundy, jesus, pledge, allegiance
Now that we've dealt with the fact that I don't hate god, we've got the asshats at In God We Trust* asking why I hate America. South American, Central America, North America? Mexico, Paraguay, Panama?

I think what they're trying to ask is why I hate the United States. We'll go with that.

The nation's largest atheist group who? the American Atheists? Freedom from Religion Foundation? My friends and I? wants you to imagine a world without the Pledge of Allegiance, without faith, without patriotism, and without America [the US] as we know it.

Well, yes and no. I don't care whether or not you have faith or you don't. Nor do I care what you have faith in. (If you simply must have faith in something, I suggest the Flying Spaghetti Monster.)

I would like actual separation of church and state, however. That would be fun. Simply put, get your religion out of my government.

I'm fine with the Pledge of Allegiance- which was written without the words "under god". In fact, the pledge was written by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, in 1892. Under god was added in 1954. That's right, kids, for 62 years, we were not a nation under god. We were just a nation.

As for patriotism, what does loving my country have to do with loving god? Nothing.

However, In God We Trust is standing up to them with a new advertising campaign that exposes how much the radical Atheist movement jackboots! hates America and everything our nation stands for. that's right, I hate mom and apple pie. (no, mom, i love you very much and you know how i feel about your apple pie. just making a point here.) The Freedom from Religion Foundation so that's who it is! has begun posting their "Imagine No Religion" billboards all across the country. because christians can go door to door proselytizing, can bother people in malls, can litter world with tracts, but how dare atheists get a few billboards? It's outrageous!

So, In God We Trust has created our own billboard campaign asking "Why Do Atheists Hate America?" that's right, our billboard, "Imagine No Religion" accused theists of treason, just like your si-- no, wait . . . Why does this particular atheist group seem to want to banish people of faith? we don't. we'd just like our voice out there, too. what's wrong with that? or do you not love the First Amendment? why do you hate the constitution? Our sign doesn't say, ‘Imagine No Atheists.' no, it just asks why we hate the entire fucking country. that's so much nicer. All we want is a public debate. yeah, that's why you accused us of feeling the same way about the US that al Queda does. We want the atheists to defend some of the Anti-American statements they've made. what Anti-American statements? Not only that, but we would like to know how ‘Imagine No Religion' is different than ‘Imagine No Christians' or ‘Imagine No Jews'? cause religion as a term isn't very specific, is it, asshat? Think about what these atheists are really saying. ‘Imagine No Mother Theresa?' ‘Imagine No Martin Luther King, Jr.?'

yeah, because "imagine no religion" means "we want to kill civil rights activists". who cracked the code?

I guess that's the kind of world in which these atheists think we would all be better off living. i'd like a world without you. that would be better. We disagree, and we think most Americans feel the same way. To learn more about the Freedom From Religion Foundation's views on patriotism, America, and religious freedom in its leaders' own words, click HERE. asshat linked you to some quote mining, most of which he clearly did not understand, but if you want to know what the FFRF said, go to the FFRF. To help in the fight to defend America's religious heritage you may make a contribution to In God We Trust or sign up for periodic email updates by clicking on the appropriate icon below. GIVE US MONEY! We spent it all on the stupid billboards and now we can't buy coffee!

what's sad is, this is what passes for serious debate in this country.

*I cross out the "God" on every bill I get and write "Gay" above it. I'm starting the revolution!