If the teacher had been a mature adult, she would have known this, and not carried on like a child throwing a tantrum.

The rational thing to do is accept the reality that the law happens to be on this student’s side. I get that you and the FRC does not like the ACLU. The truth is, though, that the ACLU has defended religious folks’ rights as well as those of the atheists you would like to see scrubbed from the face of the earth. You’re free not to like the ACLU. You are not, however, free to reinvent the truth, either about this event, or about the ACLU.

The behavior of this teacher … and your defense of her juvenile caterwauling … just goes to show what is wrong with religiosity in the U.S. The question is, do you have the integrity and courage to admit this, and change your tune? (Why do I doubt it?)

And even if that were not the case, both Maryland and Montgomery County rules are quite explicit that neither students nor teachers can be required to participate in the pledge in any way.

That said, as a high school senior, I honestly don’t get why people think it makes such a difference to kids patriotism. If you’re forced to say the same set of words for 12 years, it becomes nothing more than a formula to you, and the Pledge loses its specialness. This is especially true if you make kids start doing it from a young age, where the full meaning and significance of those words will probably be lost to them. (Ex: throughout elementary school, most of us thought “please be seated was the last line of the Pledge).

I think Justice Robert Jackson (who wrote the majority opinion for the 1943 case) put it best: “To believe that patriotism will not flourish if patriotic ceremonies are voluntary and spontaneous instead of a compulsory routine is to make an unflattering estimate of the appeal of our institutions to free minds.”

“The ACLU and the ACLU of New Jersey (2009) filed a successful lawsuit on behalf of a New Jersey prisoner – an ordained Pentecostal minister – to restore his fundamental right to preach to other inmates. The minister had preached at weekly Christian worship services at the New Jersey State Prison in Trenton, NJ for more than a decade when prison officials suddenly banned that activity without any justification. As a result of the ACLU lawsuit, state officials agreed to allow the minister to resume preaching and teaching Bible study classes under the supervision of prison staff.”

Look here for more examples of ACLU’s work — does FRC have a problem with this?
http://www.aclu.org/aclu-defense-religious-practice-and-expression

We live in a republic based on representative democracy. Alone the 1st amendment, which we all cherish (left-right-middle) guarantees the right to free speech and therefore, the refusal to say the pledge, which is in and of itself an expression of free speech.

The strength of our system is allowing others their stupidity, based on the principle that the overwhelming majority will simply laugh down the ridiculous ones, for this is also the right of the majority.

But what this teacher did harkens back to 1933-1945 nazi terror or the communist systems in the former USSR or China.

People strong in their beliefs do not have to resort to this kind of thing. The teacher was way off base here and so is your blog post. You are more concerned with the trappings of things that appear to make us look great as a people instead of honoring the principle that indeed makes us great: the 1st amendment to the constitution and all other parts of it. And there is absolutely no mention in the US constitution about reciting the pledge, putting your hand on your heart for it, singing the national anthem at baseball games, etc.. these are all trappings of culture that have appeared with time. Your very stand on protecting freedom actually denies freedom to others.

Are you really so weak in your own beliefs that you get hacked off then a young student who has her own mind and her own will decides to not say the pledge?

And what will come next? Will all students be required to sing christian hymns at school concerts, regardless of religion or creed? Will all be required to participate in invocations with “in Jesus’ name” at the end of the invocation, regardless of religion or creed? Is that freedom? Or is this all your attempt to superimpose your worldview on others?

Think about it. Long and hard.

This would make it a necessary thing unless the ranters prefer living under governments like Somalia, France or Russia. These governments also have constitutions, but they are only given passing notice by the governments. The law is what the government says it is at the time. Try ranting there and see how long you last.

Freedoms of speech, assembly and freedom to exercise one’s own religion exist only so long as the governments obey their own laws. The American Civil Liberties Union, whether we personal like its actions at any given time, keeps working at keeping these laws working. Now if only they could have something like it for all the graft and corruption to save our tax money.