Wednesday, September 24, 2008

The land of the free?, whoever told you that is your enemy...

Yesterday, my 10 year old daughter, Jessia, got in trouble at school...not for being rude to her teacher, bullying other kids, or any conventional reasons a 10 year old would get into trouble. My little girl got into trouble for...wait for it....Not participating in the 'Pledge of Allegiance'..Let that that sink in for a second...What kind of society would punish a child for not swearing allegiance to a goddamned flag?
As a proud Canadian, I am outraged. My children are raised and taught tolerance for other cultures and people, just as I was. But in America, these ideals are not the norm, I do not stand for this country's idealisms or treatment of 'different' people, and I'll be damned if my children are going to turn out like the majority of the youth of this country, ignorant and apathetic.
I have told Jessia that while she must obey the rules of the school, she does not have to swear an oath to this country. I never did, and never will...

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

OO

My kids are taught the same thing, and although it's no longer practised in school, they used to have to do some sort of pledge type thing, to God, and all that.

When we moved to Alberta, I didn't realise that there were two different school systems: public and secular. I had inadvertently enrolled them in the latter. On the first day, we were in the office when the Lord's Prayer was to be said. I had two boys turn to me rapidly, and give me a look of 'wth'? I just whispered to them to be respectful, and stay quiet. Both are free to choose what they want to do, or believe, or partake in, but I will NOT have it shoved down their throats.

I'm quite proud of them. They are both intelligent and are quite able to make their own decisions on matters like that.

What was Jessia's reaction to getting in shit?

I have no doubts, with you as her father, that she's not going to turn out ignorant or apathetic.

I'm proud of you.

Anonymous said...

Btw, I also pulled them from that school, and enrolled them elsewhere. They were happy with that decision.

TheBigOzbowski said...

She was very confused, its never been an issue before...

Anonymous said...

Poor kid. :/

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