Posted on 12/24/2009 7:08:04 AM PST by fgoodwin
December 22, 2009 By Chantelle Lusebrink
The Issaquah School Board may consider eliminating the Pledge of Allegiance at its regular business meetings.
At their Dec. 9 meeting, school board members were asked to eliminate the pledge from their meetings by parent Matthew Barry.
“The words ‘under God’ in the pledge are offensive to your atheist residents in this school district,” Barry said at the meeting. “A study from last year, The American Religious Identification Survey, indicates that 15 percent of Americans aren’t religious. In Washington, which is one of the most nonreligious states, 25 percent aren’t religious. So, I think it is safe to assume there are atheist taxpayers, parents, students and maybe even a few teachers in this school district.”
School board members couldn’t take action or discuss the item since it wasn’t on their regular meeting agenda, but they said they would take the item under consideration for a future agenda topic.
“It is inappropriate for the school board to ask atheists to stand and proclaim they are ‘under God,’” said Barry, a self-proclaimed atheist. “Atheists don’t believe in gods, so they certainly don’t think they or the nation are under a god.”
Barry said other residents with different religious beliefs might also find the pledge offensive.
“If the school board were asking Jews, Hindus and other non-Christians to stand and proclaim that Jesus Christ is the messiah, I’m pretty sure we’d all agree that’s inappropriate,” he said.
“It’s none of the government’s business what our private religious beliefs are, if any, and certainly none of the government’s business to ask us to stand and publicly proclaim what those beliefs are,” he added. “Most would agree it’s even worse if the government asks someone to stand and say something that contradicts their belief system.”
“If I understand his logic correctly, simply because something is offensive and unnecessary, it should be removed,” said Jared Spataro, a parent and Boy Scout Leader whose Scouts presented the colors that night. “I’m very proud to see us stand up and very proud to see my Scouts lead us in the pledge tonight and talk about God.
“We don’t necessarily say that everyone needs to believe in the same God, I think he referenced Jews and Hindus and others, but we do teach our boys, especially in the Scout program, that belief in a higher authority is important as an aspect of our community, and as an aspect of who we become in the community and how we contribute there.”
Barry said he wouldn’t have a problem with board members asking meeting participants to cite the original version of the Pledge of Allegiance, which didn’t include the words “under God” and was recited from 1892-1954. The words “under God” were added in 1954, Barry said.
Right now, schools within the state are required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and hold flag salute exercises at the beginning of each school day under the state’s revised code No. 28A.230.140.
However, the law recognizes that students can’t be forced to participate: “Students not reciting the pledge shall maintain a respectful silence.”
School districts aren’t required to recite the pledge for school board meetings. In fact, the Lake Washington School District doesn’t require the pledge at board meetings, Barry said.
Since the pledge is irrelevant to the board’s work and is offensive, even if it is voluntary, it should be eliminated from the board meetings, he added.
“I understand many things we do are offensive to people,” Spataro added. “But just because a small group of people, or even a large group of people, are offended it doesn’t mean they are right.”
It is curious that people who call themselves conservatives now consider this overtly socialist inducement to state-worship part of the sacred tradition of liberty and justice.
Note “state worship”.
Lack of loyalty = Traitor.
So now I’m a traitor. No I am not loyal to the state.
If you don’t want to recite the Pledge, then by all means don’t.
I think reciting the Pledge shows patriotism, not some slavish devotion to the state, but if you disagree, then don’t say it.
Problem solved . . .
Too bad, so what, f*** off. Take your pick
Silly you..this has NOTHING to do with the pledge. These people are controlling, unhappy and mean. They want everyone to be just as unhappy as they are. They are a cancer on our Society and when we give them publicity, we are feeling their enormously damaged egos.
still what about the 85% of us...??...this used to be a country where the majority of a soceity ruled now we have become a soceity of pandering to the minority....
The Michael Newdow syndrome. His wife didn’t want to be with a hatefull little man so he’s going to punish the world.
I am on the school board in my county. We say the pledge and pray before our board meetings. I intend to keep it that way with my vote.
People who do not wish to pray in school should just keep their mouths shut while the others that wish to do so, do so. If the words offend their ears in any case, they should ask to leave the room until the prayer is over. Same goes for the pledge. If the student does not return to class after the prayer and/or the pledge, they should be reported to the school principal for their absence.
I’m getting to the point with these creeps that I consider fat lips an adequate compensation. I reserve the right to increase their “pay” if they don’t silence themselves.
No Barry.. the pledge is not irrelevant to the Scool Boards meeting. It it Showing respect to the Nation. I might add that your objection is disrespectful, uncivil, and irrelevant.
No Barry.. the pledge is not irrelevant to the School Boards meeting. It it Showing respect to the Nation. I might add that your objection is disrespectful, uncivil, and irrelevant.
I know. My first post was to suggest beating the daylights out of the guy but I didn’t want the mods to pull it for advocating violence which, of course, is all these boils on society’s butt would understand.
What about the rest of us? Well I p-ersonally would have told the whiner to pound sand but in a nicer way. For instance I would have said to the complainer, “In America you have the right to express your opinions and concerns on any subject you wish. However it is also true that we have the right to ignore you. The right to speak does not translate into the right to dictate.
I have better idea for the other 85% of residents of this particular district how about if they do what the 15% want you all decide not to pay your property taxes next year and vow to vote down any and all school bonds from here on out?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.