Patriotism, in the ostensible land of the free, is no longer measured by how much freedom you fight for or corruption you expose, it is now measured by how hard you praise the state and how much loyalty you show to your rulers. Those who challenge the state and stand up for their rights are now cast out as un-American and treasonous. Now, the argument over when these personal choices of expression should and shouldn't take place has spread to children.
The mother of a six-year-old boy in Florida is furious after she says her son was admonished for silently and respectfully taking a knee during the morning pledge of allegiance at Wiregrass Elementary School in Wesley Chapel.
Eugenia McDowell said she had no idea her son was going to kneel for the pledge and that she only learned about it when the school sent her a text message Monday evening explaining how out of line his actions were.
The message read: "I knew where he had seen it [going down on one knee], but I did tell him that in the classroom,
we are learning what it means to be a good citizen,
we're learning about respecting the United States of America and our country symbols and showing loyalty and patriotism and that we stand for the Pledge of Allegiance."
As ABC reports, McDowell said her son was publicly admonished for his gesture of silent protest, a move she said stifles his voice and freedom of speech. But according to Pasco County School District Spokesperson Linda Cobbe, the boy's teacher does not believe any other students saw her admonishment. Cobbe said the teacher mouthed the words, "We stand for the pledge" in response to the boy's decision to take a knee.
Whether or not the other students saw the teacher reprimand a six-year-old for peacefully choosing to abstain from pledging his allegiance to a flag is irrelevant.
The fact that a six-year-old boy was reprimanded at all for this decision is the issue."What he did was have a difference of opinion. He was not being disrespectful. He was silently protesting and exercising his constitutional right," McDowell said. "My concern is she infringed upon his constitutional right to express himself, to protest peacefully, and she also made him feel like his decision to come up with his own opinion about things was the wrong thing to do."
Being brave and going against the status quo to challenge what you perceive as an injustice is the very fabric of a free society. Mandated worship of symbolism and pledges of loyalty are what empires do on the way to despotism and eventually their fall.
But fret not, the school says they respect everyone's free speech and there would have been no problem with the boy's choice to kneel-had he simply filled out a permission slip to practice his free speech."Our policy - and state law, for that matter - requires that a parent submit a request in writing that their student be exempted from participating in the pledge," Cobbe told ABC News.
"If he had that exemption, nothing would have been said. Students could stand, students could kneel, they don't have to put their hand on their heart. They just have to be respectful of the students who are participating," Cobbe said.
In the land of the free, one must first obtain written permission to express views that differ from the status quo. Seems legit.
"We are no longer going be silenced, our voices will be heard and our little black boys that sit in classrooms today, not just my son but every other child that looks like him, they are not going to be silenced," McDowell said.
Whether or not you agree with people kneeling or standing for the pledge, the anthem or any other form of practiced loyalty to the state is not the issue as it is your right and duty to peacefully express your views. However, when children are reprimanded for not getting a permission slip or exemption form for practicing their free speech, it is high time to put America in check.
A free society is not fostered by forcing state loyalty.
Do you think
August Landmesser, who became famous after an image surfaced of him refusing to be caught up in the nationalistic Nazi fervor, as he stands with his arms crossed, stone-faced, as the rest of the crowd engages in the mandatory "Seig heil" salute-obtained a permission slip to do so?
This instance should serve as a warning to all Americans that those who refuse to remember history will be doomed to repeat it.
Please share this article with your friends and family to let others know that regardless of how you feel about millionaire football players alienating their fanbase by kneeling during the anthem-this little boy's story is a warning sign that America is going down the wrong path.
Dude your wrong.
The FACT that you are making it an issue is what is the freakin issue.
Society is withering right before our eyes.
This new society is teaching people that they should never have to do anything that they do not like.
It is teaching them to shrivel and recoil in the face of any kind of diversity or "admonishment".
The school most likely has something written about a daily pledge of allegiance in it's student handbook or policy handbook.
Basically the student, (who agreed by proxy through their guardian enrolling them into the school), to follow all rules regulations and policies of said school is now not following school policies is the issue. Now they are being shown and it is being reinforced that they should not have to do anything they do not like or follow an agreement they agreed to, even for something like pledging allegiance.
If the child would have just stood and mouthed the words without saying them or just stood there silently i do not think there would have been admonishment and it would have been a good "silent" protest. Taking a knee is disruptive and no matter where you go to school you have to agree to not be disruptive. So this is much more a not following procedure or rules thing than a free speech. Not saying anything is covered under free speech. Taking a disruptive knee in protest is not covered under freedom of speech.
The kneeling thing is just because they want to look like the football stars who are protesting their own white privilege, when they are mostly black, thus proving the country is not as racist as it is ignorant.
By this train of thought in the article the child should be able to tell the teacher to take a flying leap, to piss off, all sorts of things. That is all freedom of speech. Especially if the child says "I THINK" you should take a flying leap or piss off. Then it is freedom of expression of personal opinion. This is not a freedom of speech thing. It is an issue of the child wanting to VISIBLY not VERBALLY be challenging to the established order, thus acting disruptively.
Heaven forbid any of these frail little delicate angels ever have to work for a living, especially at a job that does not pander to their every whim, or at one where it is dire to have customer relations with grumpy customers. It also explains why people think that they should not have to get a higher education and improve themselves to make good money, that they should just get a 15-20 an hour minimum wage for being a high school drop-out at a fast food restaurant or wal-mart.
It is no wonder that the average american has become completely useless. They are being taught to be that way. THAT is the issue here. NOT state loyalty.
Please share this article eh? NOT A CHANCE IN YOUR LIFE you rainbow warrior. (reference to rainbow people, NOT any LGBT stuff)