I pledge allegiance, ...

Santa Fe bureaucrats are about deciding whether to continue
to insist that students recite the Pledge of Allegiance,
in two languages, at the beginning of every school day,
every athletic competition, and at the beginning of every
meeting on school property, of more than two dozen people.
Journal link.




A typical student will recite the pledge about 2,500 times
between kindergarten and graduation.

S/he will invest the equivalent of 12 full school days in the
13 year long endeavor.

There are those who believe that in so doing, we are creating
bilingual patriots.

Having witnessed 137,250 individual pledges, in two
languages, I honestly don't believe that we have created
patriots at all.

How can you be a patriot, how can you pledge allegiance to,
something you know nothing about?

We would be far better off spending a couple of minutes each
day, talking about current events. And about the fact that there
really is not liberty and justice for all; not in this country, and
not in the world.

If we decide in the end to continue to pledge, I suggest an
addendum;

I pledge allegiance to the Pillars of Character Counts!.

Not only will we be turning out 100,000 patriots every year,
but they will be patriots who are also good citizens, who are
caring and fair, respectful and responsible, and worthy of trust.





photo Mark Bralley