I have taken an oath to Protect and Defend the United States Constitution as a soldier and as a lawyer, I am proud to take that oath and think if MORE American's did they might think about what that meant and what the document meant. But oath is to defending a living document one that if it were changed would drastically change what it meant to live in the US and what it means to be a US citizen, They could completely change the shape colors and pattern of the flag and it would have zero affect on the REASONS we exist and those things we hold sacrosanct as a country like free speech and freedom from random searches and seizures. But in the last 20 years and especially inthe last 8 we have allowed the right wing in this country to define what is and is not patriotic. It is patriotic to wear a flag pin on your lapel but unpatriotic to question the governments involvement in the war. We wring our hands over whether someone had their hand over their heart during the right place in the Pledge and Anthem and at the same time tell people that freedoms have Changed because "9-11 changed everything".
Samuel Johnson is supposed to have said Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. Many Lefties have become fond of saying it as a way to decry everything a rightwing administration does and many Righties say that lefties use the saying only because they hate america. However Johnson's alleged statement has been misused, it is true. The use of patriotism to silence people who dissent or who you disagree with is repulsive. Claiming that someone is not patriotic because they don't wear a flag on their lapel anymore appeals only to the lowest political common denominator.
This most recent suspension was not done, no matter what ANYONE says, because it was disrespectful to the other kids who are doing it ONLY because they were supposed to. It was done because some teacher has his or her "patriotic" sensiblities offended. Forcing anyone to stand out of respect for the flag does not breed respect. It is not more a passionate feeling than when Mao made everyone go outside and read from the little red book to show what great communists they were. But, it is everybit the same use of force to press conformity. Yes I get offended when kids are FORCED to believe anything. FORCING beliefs on another is a form of slavery. It is the antithesis of what our forefathers had in mind for a new country. Jefferson would be offended at the attempt to force people to pledge to the flag as i am sure many other founders would be. Now I don't necessarily think caring about what the founders thought or would think matters much, but some of you righties do. Sometimes I wish that right in this county really would ask WWJD but that the J would stand for Jefferson, or James Madison