Public school in Mass. issues permission slips for Pledge of Allegiance.

[Redlinerobert]

What country is this again? >

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/12/22/massachusetts-school-issues-permission-slips-pledge-allegiance/

[BASSclary]

I think I might run for President to turn America back into the good ol' US of A

[Hamby]

Senior in high school now, and I haven't recited the pledge of allegiance in more than 6 years.

[BASSclary]

Senior in high school now, and I haven't recited the pledge of allegiance in more than 6 years.

The only time we recited the pledge was in K-5th grade, just so we knew it. Now we just stand and put our right hand over our heart. However if the student does not want to recite or stand there with his hand over their heart, he has to pay respect for those who respect the flag.

I don't think anywhere its mandatory to say the pledge though.

[Glenn]

Boy, ya just gotta love how Faux news really buries the facts with editorializations.  If you look closely, here's the real story:

"It's actually not a permission slip," said Superintendent Bill Lupini, in an interview with Fox News Radio. "There's no intent this was a permission form."

Lupini said students will not be forced to recite the pledge, regardless of a parent's wishes.

Under state law, teachers are required to lead students in the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of every school day.

All it really is, is a notification that they're citing the Pledge Of Allegiance.  Big whoop.

So really this is much adieu about...nothing.  Once again, Faux news completely misleads you with headlines designed to shock you.  Sheesh, sometimes they're worse than the National Enquirer.  :

Geez guys, you really ought to stop watching/reading Faux news.  It's nothing but idle gossip.

[Hamby]

Ha ha, you sound like my grandpa. Minus a few bad words and insults.  :

[.dsaavedra.]

Boy, ya just gotta love how Faux news really buries the facts with editorializations. If you look closely, here's the real story:

"It's actually not a permission slip," said Superintendent Bill Lupini, in an interview with Fox News Radio. "There's no intent this was a permission form."

Lupini said students will not be forced to recite the pledge, regardless of a parent's wishes.

Under state law, teachers are required to lead students in the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of every school day.

All it really is, is a notification that they're citing the Pledge Of Allegiance. Big whoop.

So really this is much adieu about...nothing. Once again, Faux news completely misleads you with headlines designed to shock you. Sheesh, sometimes they're worse than the National Enquirer. :

Geez guys, you really ought to stop watching/reading Faux news. It's nothing but idle gossip.

man, ive said it before but you are the news-hatin'est person i know!!

[Fishing Rhino]

Seems to me that some of the staff acknowleged that by law the pledge is to be recited daily.

They also said it's not enforced.

So, it is on the books. Just like there are laws about illegal immigration that are frequently winked at.

It ain't just FOX news. Here's a local NBC station's article. They cite "permission slips" as well. They picked it up from an article in the Boston Globe, which can hardly be equated to FOX news.

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/local_news/water_cooler/massachusetts-school-requires-permission-slips-to-recite-%27pledge-of-allegiance%27

Posted: 12/22/2010

"Brookline, MA - A public school requires permission slips to recite the "Pledge of Allegiance," according to an article in the Boston Globe.

In his letter to parents, the principal said teachers and students can't be mandated to participate in the pledge under the Constitution, and called it a personal choice to participate, according to the article.

Should public schools require permission slips before reciting the Pledge? Leave your comments below."

I doubt this thread is long for this world.

[Root beer]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Federal Law states no one has to recite it?

For Redline, this country was found by white slave owners who grew hemp plants and refused to pay their taxes. ;D ;D I mean, what did you expect? ;D ;D

Edited: I didn't see Fish Rhino until after I post. whoops!

[J Francho]

Asked my mom about this....they had the SAME THING in rural western NY when I was in grammar school, in the late 70s. LOL.  She thought it was funny that that they harped on this point, yet taught evolution without batting an eye.  Personally, WHATEVS!!!  There's WAYYYY too much process spent on notions that are meaningless, in the grand scheme of things.  I mean really? Its the freaking Pledge!  I'd say it at risk of waterboarding, but I wouldn't fret over a permission slip to say it.

[=Matt 5.0=]

I always thought the pledge was kind of a WW2 German fatherland oath type thing...

[Tin]

Just like how they reported a school district in Florida banned everything Christmas, including the colors red and green.  :

[K_Mac]

Can a thread be too political if Glenn and J Franco are involved? This can't end well. :-?

[fishermantony]

All reasons why I don't watch the news with the exception of ESPN.

[Glenn]

As J Franco said, it's been that way at least since the '70's.  Nothing new here to see.  Just "news" hype....again.

Yep, I am very critical of "the news".  I worked at a 24/7 regional network news station for a few years, so I have the inside track on how they spin things.  I know because they taught us how. I also know how they make up the "news", don't care about accuracy, and focus on hype rather than facts.

But Faux news really takes it to a whole new level of absurdness.

[SirSnookalot]

I always thought the pledge was kind of a WW2 German fatherland oath type thing...

As a young child saying the Pledge every morning gave me a great sense of pride, but I think times were different then.  With the allied victory of WW2 I think all of us felt honored to be American and we felt good about who we were.  I can see the similarity to German pride, imo they were totally brainwashed by years of German propaganda preceding WW2 and the holocaust.

That brings me to Fox news, over the last year or so I've devoted much more time tuning them in.  The spin they put on stories is mind boggling and biased towards a certain agenda, FAIR AND BALANCED......haha pullleezeeee.  Not that other media outlets are free of guilt but I don't think to the same extent.  I'll continue to listen to them as I need the spin on both sides of any issue.  There is 3 sides to any story, your side, his side and the truth.

[Nibbles]

2 Words:

Rupert Murdoch

[Fishing Rhino]

Back in the Stone Age, when I went to public school, we recited the pledge of allegiance every day, either before or after "The Lord's Prayer". 

Opening "exercises" were a trifecta because the two parts were accompanied by the teacher reading a short passage from the Bible.

I do not remember a single person being traumatized by it.  When something is done as a ritual, it actually becomes rather meaningless.

We may have been uttering the words or not, but our minds were usually wandering elsewhere.

Back then, teachers inflicted all sorts of humiliation upon the troublemakers, sometimes, even pain.  Standing in the corner, wearing the "dunce cap", having to stay in while classmates went out for recess and having to write several times on the blackboard, "I will not talk in class", arm squeezing, hair pulling, and the very rare slap were all acceptable disciplinary procedures.

Disruptions were not tolerated.  Self esteem was something you achieved by paying attention, applying yourself, and actually learning or accomplishing something. 

Today we have ultra sensitive, thin skinned, easily offended individuals, and groups who expect to go through life without any unpleasant circumstances.

We were taught readin' and writin' and 'rithmetic, not that we should "feel good" about ourselves simply because we had a pulse.

Some, especially the NEA will tell you education has gotten better with the evolution away from the olden times.  Test scores and the results of these "improvements" tell an entirely different story.

Now, education teaches that we are all the same.  No one is any better than another.  Noble philosophies.  Destructive philosophies.

After 12, 16 years or more of education, at some point one has to go out in the world.  Talk about a reality check.  One quickly finds out that competition is a reality of life.  All are not equal.  Self esteem becomes an anchor around one's neck, not a liberator.

I've never seen a career, other than in politics, where self esteem is part of a job description.

[bigfruits]

the fact that parents decide if the kid has to recite the pledge is ridiculous.

IMO, if the kid doesnt want to do it, fine. have him sit quietly and wait. move on, get the lessons started and stop worrying about religion/patriotism. forcing beliefs on people seems more N. Korean than American to me.

[firefightn15]

^^^Good post Tom^^^

[fathom]

two sides to every story...and media rarely reports either of them.

have a media background, as well, and it ain't just fox, folks...it's cnn, msnbc, the abnbcbs complex, even down to the weather channel...they all follow the same parse-the-words, out-of context template designed more for their masters to gain hearts and minds over issues, rather than simple truths to be told.

calling one side worse than any other side here is a bit...facetious.

[lightsout]

Its sad what the media has done to this country. I truly believe the media is to blame for our recession as anyone. By scaring everyone into not investing into our companies (global investors as well as domestic) out of fear, they made things a billion times worse.

The fact of the matter is everyone has an agenda these days and you cannot put stock in anything you hear. News that SHOULD be reported isnt, news that SHOULDNT be reported is.

[senile1]

As J Franco said, it's been that way at least since the '70's. Nothing new here to see. Just "news" hype....again.

Yep, I am very critical of "the news". I worked at a 24/7 regional network news station for a few years, so I have the inside track on how they spin things. I know because they taught us how. I also know how they make up the "news", don't care about accuracy, and focus on hype rather than facts.

But Faux news really takes it to a whole new level of absurdness.

I posted this on another forum but it hasn't been needed here. It looks like it fits now.

I spend a lot of time on another forum where such topics get shut down quickly when it devolves into nothing but an argument. I like lively debate but sometimes it can be irritating. It is amazing how, otherwise, intelligent people base their opinions about very important subjects on information obtained from Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, etc on the right and Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, etc on the left. All talk show hosts that I have listened to and researched cherry pick the facts to support their own views, not to mention some news organizations. They conveniently leave out the facts that don't support the idea they want you to believe.

If you follow a talk show,research the facts on your own. And please, don't just cherry pick conservative or liberal blogs or sites. Go to sites that actually provide facts like factcheck.org, politifact.com, etc. (Be wary. Some fact checking sites are partisan sites portraying themselves as non-partisan. Research the research. ) If you are going to read blogs read both sides, not just your side. You will be shocked at how misleading some of your favorite talk shows are.

This the very reason for the quote I have in my signature.

[deaknh03]

The news is what the advertisers and big business owners want you to hear, and how you hear and interpret it. In other words, watch the news if you want to fill your head with garbage and propaganda. My wife and I call it "the bad news".

[Jaheff]

Wikileaks is going after the U.S. media next...might be interesting ....