The president is a tangible, real, thing. But I agree with them, there's no WAY I'd be beholden to pledge my allegiance to George Bush.

They really do think he's teh jebus! OMG!

Next people will be submitting fark threads and calling it "journalism".

If the people who like to call themselves conservative today didn't have convenient, on-demand outrage, they wouldn't have anything at all.

Not a chance the kid came home all distraught and said he didn't want to go to school anymore because of this. Parents are so retarded.

/no, you shouldn't put a picture of the president up next to the flag
//kids shouldn't care and i doubt this one does

Can we please get rid of the pledge? Or at least change it so we pledge allegiance to the rule of law and the constitution?

This story is clearly a ton of bullshiat.

DamnYankees: Can we please get rid of the pledge? Or at least change it so we pledge allegiance to the rule of law and the constitution?

Well, considering the flag is supposed to represent that...

andrew131: DamnYankees: Can we please get rid of the pledge? Or at least change it so we pledge allegiance to the rule of law and the constitution?

Well, considering the flag is supposed to represent that...

Since when does the flag represent the constitution? The flag represents the nation.

I'd have a problem if they did this with Bush. So yeah, this is a little weird. Why is the school doing this?

On the other hand, you *know* the parent is exaggerating:

A parent reported today that his son, who is in 1st grade, came home yesterday saying that he didn't want to go back to school anymore. When asked why, the boy said that during the Pledge of Allegiance the teacher put up a large image of Obama next to the flag.

floor9: I'd have a problem if they did this with Bush. So yeah, this is a little weird. Why is the school doing this?

On the other hand, you *know* the parent is exaggerating:

A parent reported today that his son, who is in 1st grade, came home yesterday saying that he didn't want to go back to school anymore. When asked why, the boy said that during the Pledge of Allegiance the teacher put up a large image of Obama next to the flag.

What kind of kid doesn't want to go back to school because of that? I mean its dumb and I don't like it, but its hardly traumatic. My money is this kid hears his parents talk about Obama, and I'm gonna they equate him to Satan.

I would rather pledge my allegiance to a decent leader than a mythical cloud wizard.

And I would rather puke on Bush than pay him homage.

Suck it GOP!

BuckTurgidson: epic GOPwnage

Win. Mods, please close thread now.

WTF is a Boss Hog Bacon Explosion Link (new window)

And why is it breaking news? Is that site run by Farkers? Is it even a news site? I'm slightly drunk and confused.

I find it a little creepy to pledge allegiance to the visage of any leader, regardless of who it is. Bit too "Dear Leader" for my tastes.

Doubt the teacher had any "brainwashing" plans like I'm sure some conservatives will claim, but I don't entirely understand the point of putting the image up during the pledge, either. I'm sure the teacher is still excited over Obama becoming president; presumably not thinking of ramifications of their actions, or even that there could conceivably be a problem, as is generally the case in these situations.

Maybe the teachers were trying to show the first graders who their new President was.

/BFD, IMHO.

eyehate: I would rather pledge my allegiance to a decent leader than a mythical cloud wizard.

I hate to Godwin, but the point where Germany really started going downhill is when Hitler started making his citizens swear oaths of loyalty directly to him, not to Germany.

Now obviously Obama isn't mandating what this idiot teacher is doing. But it's the wrong mindset to get in. Pledging allegiance to the country means that you can support your nation regardless of how much of a jackass you think the President is. If the teacher wants to hang a picture of Obama next to the flag, that's perfectly fine. But unveiling the image just for the pledge seems a little out of line to me.

Poor widdle snowflake!

The Cult of the Presidency has been a bipartisan phenomenon since long before we were born. We don't want a mere Constitutional officer to defend the country and execute the laws, we want nothing less than the living embodiment of America, who will right all wrongs and solve all our problems with the boundless power of the Presidency. This stuff isn't even remotely new to Obama- every President does it. We place literally inhuman and impossible expectations on the President, elect whoever plays into that heroic image best, and then reward them with the mantle of "greatness" if they live up that narrative no matter how much death and destruction they leave in their wake. Think about it- our "great" Presidents are all ones who did the most to grab as much power as they could for themselves and ignored the Constitutional limits on their power, often in times of war and crisis. Only a "weak" President is content to simply preside over peace and prosperity.

The real problem is our obsession with the idea that universe resolves around the Oval Office, whose occupant is help responsible for- and thus directly encouraged to claim authority over- almost every imaginable aspect of human society. Even if you think the government as a whole shouldn't be reduced, the dangerous concentration of power in the Presidency should be broken up among several officeholders. A good chunk of it should go back to Congress, and the rest should be broken up so that no one person "emobdies" the government and/or America. It's a bad idea in general to have the Head of State (if such a thing should exist at all), the object of at least symbolic adulation, be a politician. It's an even worse idea to have that person be the most powerful person on the planet- it's a situation that begs for a personality-driven demagogue, which is by and large what we usually get.

I doubt the kid came home hysterical. That being said, the teacher is stupid and should not be doing this. I would never want any kid of mine seemingly pledging to a politician. Of course, I think the retards that want "god" in our pledge are equally stupid. Then again, I don't like the pledge to begin with...so I really don't know where I'm going with all this.

But, I will say, everybody involved is stupid to some degree.

BuckTurgidson: / my work is done here.

Win

Here for your edification are a few of the more intellectual freeper thoughts on this very subject.....................

I have always said....teach the mind of a child and you rule the world.... And I guess this is what they are doing.
OBAMA HAS TO BE REMOVED FROM OFFICE, to save our kids.


22 posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 7:51:00 PM by nbhunt


Just like Hitler making soldiers of the German Army swear loyalty to him instead of to the country.


25 posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 7:52:59 PM by JillValentine (Being a feminist is all about being a victim. Being an armed woman is all about not being a victim.)


I saw similar nonsense in a elementary school today, photographs and drawings by kids of POTUS MUZZIE HUSSEIN SOCIALIST FROM KENYA all over the walls in both the classrooms and the corridors.


42 posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2009 8:07:52 PM by Rome2000 (Peace is not an option)

Link (new window)

I am starting to belive that these people must reside in some type of alternative universe...Their very own FREEPER WORLD. Must be a very frightening place with mooslims, commies, traitors, and terrorist lurking behind every tree looking to kill our 'merican way of life.

Approves.

DamnYankees: Can we please get rid of the pledge? Or at least change it so we pledge allegiance to the rule of law and the constitution?

I agree with this.

/the flag is a nice symbol, but the Constitution defines us as a nation.
//which is also why the President should take the oath of office with his hand on the Constitution rather than the Bible. After all, that is what he is promising to preserve, protect, and defend.

I been notified that only nerds are in the AV club.
/had a teacher back in the day who made me reel up An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge over 300 times. 16 mm for the win.
/and Geba was his name

Atheist_Republican: I find it a little creepy to pledge allegiance to the visage of any leader, regardless of who it is. Bit too "Dear Leader" for my tastes.

I find the idea of a "pledge of allegiance" AT ALL a little creepy. If the country is so great, then it should have no problems freely receiving allegiance (i.e. the citizens freely giving it) rather demanding that it be pledged.

I second the notion to just get rid of the pledge of allegiance. If you must have something, how about making an oath, similar to oaths of office, to follow the constitution and do our civic duties?

Local parents are up in arms over this situation. Teachers clearly do not realize the gravity of what they are doing.

I would really love to know what this author thinks the 'gravity' of this situation is.

The pledge is stupid.

mamoru: Atheist_Republican: I find it a little creepy to pledge allegiance to the visage of any leader, regardless of who it is. Bit too "Dear Leader" for my tastes.

I find the idea of a "pledge of allegiance" AT ALL a little creepy. If the country is so great, then it should have no problems freely receiving allegiance (i.e. the citizens freely giving it) rather demanding that it be pledged.

One argument is that it stresses that a person is an American first, rather than whatever race, nation, or culture their ancestors came from.

/But I like the Constitution idea better.

bulldg4life: I doubt the kid came home hysterical.

Maybe the kid was hysterical because he was taught to hate negroes.

I actually believe that the kid was traumatized by the image of Obama after thinking about the President's positions on the issues.

hell, most "conservatives" operate at a first grade level of comprehension and look at how upset they are all of the time.

That would be I've
/sorry

How about we just get rid of the pledge altogether? I don't see why having schoolkids waste five minutes every day with a meaningless loyalty pledge to the government is desirable in the first place. The only part of the pledge I've ever really felt comfortable with was "liberty and justice for all"- and even making group recitation of that mandatory would bother me.

Even if you don't think there's anything objectionable about the pledge, it's still a waste of time. It's not like anyone was ever prevented from committing treason because they had to recite the pledge umpteen million times during their time in school.

Snarfangel: One argument is that it stresses that a person is an American first, rather than whatever race, nation, or culture their ancestors came from.

/But I like the Constitution idea better.

I think an oath to do one's civic duty would convey being an American more than pledging allegiance to one's country, especially when, in a Nation founded on revolution, one's civic duty *may* eventually involve revolting against what the country has become...

The pledge is not being used to show allegiance to the idea of America, but rather to America itself, no matter what the nation becomes, in my opinion. That is why I find it creepy, and actually rather un-American.

/think I may be preaching to the choir here

I'm hardly a conservative, and I think this is outrageous. Flag worship is stupid enough without tacking on President worship.

Churchill2004: It's not like anyone was ever prevented from committing treason because they had to recite the pledge umpteen million times during their time in school.

Boy is there going to be egg on your face when Obama uncovers the military coup being staged by the 2nd grade children from Edward P. Livingston Elementary School in upstate Missouri.

Lionel Mandrake: Flag worship is stupid enough without tacking on President worship.

This

What happens if the teacher is reciting the pledge and does it wrong and then the students follow along and repeat the pledge incorrectly too? Do they still become school children at 12 noon or are they not legally children?

Churchill2004: How about we just get rid of the pledge altogether?

I find the whole idea really creepy.

The only thing I pledged allegiance to at school was Rebecca Kings tits. And I was almost too lazy for that.

Churchill2004: I don't see why having schoolkids waste five minutes every day with a meaningless loyalty pledge to the government is desirable in the first place.

the pledge takes 5 minutes? Really?


But I agree. It's an oddly totalitarian artifact that really doesn't mean shiat and almost no one has recited it since grade school. (notice how any pledge of allegiance stories revolve around grades 6 and under?)

DamnYankees: andrew131: DamnYankees: Can we please get rid of the pledge? Or at least change it so we pledge allegiance to the rule of law and the constitution?

Well, considering the flag is supposed to represent that...

Since when does the flag represent the constitution? The flag represents the nation.

Good point. How's this:

I pledge to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America, and the rule of law for which it stands. One nation, for equality and honor, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

/Making school children say the pledge is unethical. Regardless of what it says.

For decades it was expected and "good' to have a picture of the president up there in a respected poster area or section of the classroom. For some reason, after GWB's 9-11 support faded, it became the 'proper' thing for schools to make it optional, and the generally left-leaning teachers took them down

Now those same teachers want 'their' President back up.
Freedom of choice, right?
no bias here, move long.

Glasgowsfinest: Churchill2004: How about we just get rid of the pledge altogether?

I find the whole idea really creepy.

The only thing I pledged allegiance to at school was Rebecca Kings tits. And I was almost too lazy for that.

Would you have a problem pledging allegiance to the constitution and the rule of law?

Neeek: I pledge to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America, and the rule of law for which it stands. One nation, for equality and honor, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Sounds good to me.

Snarfangel: DamnYankees: Can we please get rid of the pledge? Or at least change it so we pledge allegiance to the rule of law and the constitution?

I agree with this.

/the flag is a nice symbol, but the Constitution defines us as a nation.
//which is also why the President should take the oath of office with his hand on the Constitution rather than the Bible. After all, that is what he is promising to preserve, protect, and defend.

What was that thing you said that one time? Something about treating the Constitution religiously over treating the Bible casually?

Snarfangel: //which is also why the President should take the oath of office with his hand on the Constitution rather than the Bible. After all, that is what he is promising to preserve, protect, and defend.

John Q. Adams did this. He swore on a law book.

Neeek: Snarfangel: DamnYankees: Can we please get rid of the pledge? Or at least change it so we pledge allegiance to the rule of law and the constitution?

I agree with this.

/the flag is a nice symbol, but the Constitution defines us as a nation.
//which is also why the President should take the oath of office with his hand on the Constitution rather than the Bible. After all, that is what he is promising to preserve, protect, and defend.

What was that thing you said that one time? Something about treating the Constitution religiously over treating the Bible casually?

I'd rather have an atheist who followed the Constitution religiously over a fanatic who followed the Bible politically.

/something like that, I think.

Snarfangel: I'd rather have an atheist who followed the Constitution religiously over a fanatic who followed the Bible politically.

Excellent quote. I would replace "fanatic" with a different word, though. Maybe "believer" or "religious man".

DamnYankees: Would you have a problem pledging allegiance to the constitution and the rule of law?

I see no need to pledge allegiance to anything.

Apart from Becky Kings hoobs, obviously.