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Michigan Senate approves bill requiring Pledge of Allegiance for students

By John Irwin on November 21, 2011 10:00 am in Politics, Top Stories / 29 comments

 

Michigan is one of seven states in the country that does not require K-12 students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance daily, but that may soon change.

A bill, sponsored by Sen. Roger Kahn, R-Saginaw, requires all students in K-12 education to recite the pledge before every school day. However, students can opt out with parental permission.

The legislation was approved by the state Senate 31-5 on Nov. 10.

An amendment to the bill says students cannot be bullied or pressured into reciting the pledge should they choose not to.

It also mandates that school districts buy American flags to display in each of its buildings.

“I think it’s a good thing,” said Grand Rapids freshman Colin Ludema. “We’re all Americans, and it’s a patriotic thing to do. I knew kids in high school that didn’t even know the Pledge of Allegiance, so I think it’s a good thing.”

Ludema recited the pledge before class every day in elementary school.

Political Science Professor James Hill disagreed and questioned the importance of the bill.

“I am not sure what the purpose of the law is,” Hill said. “If it is to be sure our students are patriotic, I am not sure a rote recitation ensures that. If it is to ensure they know what the pledge words are or mean, that can be done in a less public way by written paper.”

Hill also wondered how students would be protected from bullying or intimidation from peers.

“What concerns me is the bullying or intimidation possibility,” Hill said. “How do you stop that from occurring?”

Central Michigan University Griffin Endowed Chair Maxine Berman also questioned the importance of the bill.

“With so many people out of work in Michigan, with so many people who have lost homes, with cities like Detroit going bankrupt, how exactly will a bill requiring students to say the pledge of allegiance help?” Berman asked.

 

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  • hat

     you can’t still be a student at Central, why are you still trolling the newspaper with your crap?

  • Elk

    Stupid

  • Grey Area

     Most schools have the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance as part of their daily routine. It is not stated explicitly, but students have the option, as is their right, to not state a part of the pledge they disagree with. This bill is stating exactly what is already in place. From Senate Bill 637: “A PUPIL SHALL NOT BE COMPELLED, AGAINST THE PUPIL’S OBJECTIONS OR THOSE OF THE PUPIL’S PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN, TO RECITE THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. THE BOARD OF A SCHOOL DISTRICT OR INTERMEDIATE SCHOOL DISTRICT OR BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL ACADEMY, AND THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR IN CHARGE OF A SCHOOL BUILDING, SHALL ENSURE THAT A PUPIL IS NOT SUBJECT TO ANY PENALTY OR BULLYING AT SCHOOL AS A RESULT OF NOT RECITING THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.”

    So, what exactly is the point of this bill? Arguably, nothing, except a distraction of some sort, just like “reaffirming” the nation’s motto of “In God We Trust.” It’s beginning to feel like no one in any state or federal congress knows what to do with the real problems plaguing this country, and instead are pulling for the easy stuff to vote on. “Hey!” Roger Kahn says to his fellow senators come this election season, “remember how we had absolutely no idea what to do about the suffering of so many people in our state? At least we forced them to be proud of their country again!” High fives all around.

  • Michmediaperson

    Every alum is a shareholder.  Every donor is a shareholder.  Every taxpayer is a shareholder.

  • Hecklersveto

    All this does is weaken the pledge of allegiance – for those that don’t really pledge allegiance, making them say it is silly and foolish and a waste of our legislature’s time.  Think of all the times you were a kid and your mom MADE you say sorry to your sisters or brothers.  The mere fact that someone made you say it; rather than you wanting to say it or saying it because you felt personally you should, did that make you mean it? 

  • Grumpyoldgrandpa

    Every true alumnus is a graduate.

    Every graduate usually moves on and finds a real job, creates a family, and takes part in a social life where friendship, and business, is earned by collegiality—not by being a logically challenged and paranoid bully (“the liberals caused Hurricane Katrina!”).  Every reason listed before leads to the conclusion that you are not a true alumnus of CMU.Find another bridge to hang out under. 

  • Guest

    There’s a difference between teaching someone about something and trying to force them to publicly agree with it.

  • Michmediaperson

    Sounds like you’re against the First Amendment Grandpa.

    Don’t want to hear Ronald Reagan/Limbaugh/Hannity conservatism talk.

    Only liberalism!

    We need to make certain young people at CMU and all Michigan public campuses are getting both sides of the story….not just from the Left!

    And, we need to make certain CMU is being run properly since it’s a public school.

    So, you don’t think an alum or a donor should have any say-so how CMU is being run?

  • Is Glenn Beck A Terrorist?

    Every post you make is dumb.

  • Is Glenn Beck A Terrorist?

    “Bullying???Tough luck to the kids who don’t want to show patriotism.”

    Goes to show how much of an evil scumbag you really are.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Tinny-Ray/780417681 Tinny Ray

    The bill should ban the pledge. The Pledge was the origin of the Nazi salute of German national socialists. An American national socialist wrote it to promote military socialism. Francis Bellamy and his cousing Edward Bellamy influenced the National Socialist German Workers Party, it rituals (robotic chanting to flags and leaders), dogma, and symbols (including the use of the swastika to represent crossed S-letters for socialism). See the work of the historian Dr. Rex Curry. If government schools (socialist schools) taught the truth about the pledge, then no one would perform it, and it would cease to exist.

  • chipskeptic

    43 states require it and we do not…so we are actually in the minority on this one.

  • manthor

    To sum up the POA, “I pledge to be loyal to my flag and the country it represents”  …WOW!  More sinister and subversive words have never been spoken!

  • Anonymous

    Sorry, the Pledge doesn’t teach patriotism. 

    I did study WWII, the Nazis borrowed extensively from the American socialists who wrote the Pledge of Allegiance. Francis Bellamy was former Baptist minister who preached that Jesus was a socialist and advocated income taxation, central banking, nationalized education, nationalization of industry, and other tenets of socialism. His challenge was how to replace the federalist view of the country (where states and individual rights were sovereign) with a nationalist one that would pave the foundation for a central socialist government. The “one nation, indivisible” wording was especially important to Bellamy for achieving his vision of socialism through a consolidated, monopoly government. He even considered adding the the socialist bywords, “fraternity and equality”, but knew that state superintendents of education on his committee were against equality for women and African Americans.Re-education of the public would prove difficult. But if American youth could to be taught “loyalty to the state”, it would pave the way for the socialist utopia that was described in his famous socialist cousin Edward Bellamy’s ‘Looking Backward”. The place to start would need to be primary education. The public schools could be used teach blind obedience to the central state. They planned a “National Public School Celebration” in 1892, which was the first national propaganda campaign on behalf of the Pledge of Allegiance. It was a massive campaign that involved government schools and politicians throughout the country. The government schools were promoted, along with the Pledge, while private schools, especially parochial ones, were criticized.Students were taught to recite the Pledge with their arms outstretched, palms up. This was the custom in American public schools from the turn of the twentieth century until around 1950, when it was apparently decided by public school officials that the Nazi-like salute was in bad taste. If you want to see what the original vision of indoctrination looked like go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellamy_salute. If that doesn’t give you pause…

  • guest

    “Nonsense like Kwanzaa and multiculturalism?”  Since when is teaching students about different cultures nonsense?  

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_42MFPDI4SGO4OZSMUQ2VKLNGYM frmatmn2ashes

    Keep your garbage comments on Yahoo! with all the other nutjobs

  • Anonymous

    Um, Kwanzaa was started in the United States. So it is American.

  • Anonymous

    Um, Kwanzaa was started in the United States. So it is American.

  • Kayla

    “We taxpayers are paying to teach K-12 patriotism.”

    Oh, is that what taxpayers’ money is going toward? No wonder the public educational system is so broken. We’re paying for kids to be taught “patriotism” instead of actual knowledge.

    “Bullying???Tough luck to the kids who don’t want to show patriotism.  Have you two ever studied WWII.  All those young men who lost their lives.  Kids today need to learn about how they have it so lucky in this great country.  It’s because of our veterans who fought to keep us free.”

    Not reciting the pledge does not make someone unpatriotic, nor does it dishonor veterans. Veterans fought for our freedom, and that includes the freedom to not recite the pledge and the freedom to show patriotism and honor veterans in any way we please, such as, you know, actually going out and thanking them, instead of pledging our allegiance to a flag and thinking that’s all it takes.

    Frankly, I’m disgusted that you think it’s “tough luck” to the kids who may not wish to recite the pledge. Bullying is a serious problem and we should NOT be adding to it with pointless bills like these.

    Even worse, all this bill is going to teach kids is that they don’t have the freedom to opt-out if they want. I find it highly unlikely that kids are going to be informed that they can opt-out if they wish, and the fact that parental permission is required anyway just adds another obstacle.

    It’s funny that America, a country that constantly touts its supposed freedoms, introduces bills like these that infringe upon our freedoms, and is home to so many citizens who blindly support those infringements.

    “Funny how liberals don’t have a problem teaching nonsense like Kwanzaa, multiculturalism, Spanish, Mexican flags, etc.”

    Our world is becoming increasingly multicultural. Students must be taught about other cultures, practices, etc. if they have any hope of surviving in the real world and becoming intelligent contributors to society. And as a Spanish major, I take a lot of offense that you think Spanish is “nonsense”, and I believe that you (and many others) could benefit from opening your eyes a little more to other languages and cultures. Spanish is the third most-spoken language in the world and Spanish speaking populations continue to grow, especially in the United States. It is one of the most important languages to learn.

    “And, by the way, it’s “one nation, under God.”  when saying the Pledge.”

    Our nation was not founded under God, a god, or any gods. “Under God” was added to the pledge during the red scare (the same time our motto became “In God We Trust”). If ever I should have to recite the pledge, I’ll say it without the “under God”, because that is the right I have been granted by this country, and I refuse to recite a line which ostracizes both myself and many, many others within this country.

  • Michmediaperson

    Kwanzaa was started to connect with African cultural & historical heritage, according to wikipedia.
    Based on African traditions.

    Nothing American about it like Thanksgiving is.  Thanksgiving is Pilgrims and Native Americans!

    Plus, Kwanzaa is based also on an alternative to Christmas because the crazy Kwanzaa founders in the 1960s said Jesus was psychotic.  Christianity is something black people should shun.
    Read wikipedia.

    Pretty sad to say that about the Prince of Peace-Jesus.

    Kwanzaa is not American culture like Thanksgiving is.

    Happy Thanksgiving to all!  Don’t eat too much turkey!!

  • Is Glenn Beck A Terrorist?

    “Sounds like you’re against the First Amendment Grandpa.”

    Sounds like you’re a moron, because you are one.

    “Don’t want to hear Ronald Reagan… conservatism talk.”

    Reagan was a doddering idiot, at best; in all likelihood, he was a knowing sponsor of terrorism.

  • Is Glenn Beck A Terrorist?

    It’s “black”, so it doesn’t count in his eyes.

  • KING O FROD

    American culture is multiculturalism, dipshit.

  • KING O FROD

    “we”

    I don’t think you understand what that word means.

  • KING O FROD

    “I checked the roll call.”

    Oh man, the dumbass is on the scene, I can stop holding my breath.

  • Is Glenn Beck A Terrorist?

    I posted the above before his comment below was displayed.

    Called it, though it isn’t at all impressive, given his posting history.

  • Is Glenn Beck A Terrorist?

    If the Bible is to be believed, Jesus was a radical, liberal socialist, who was tortured and killed by the military at the behest of the conservative establishment.

    Pretty strange that you pretend to care about someone you hate.

  • Florenceschneider

    When you are unable and incapable of effectively countering a message intellecutally, you resort to the shallow act of attacking the messenger, personally.

    That is what you have done. 

    The aims of this bill are admirable.  However, the vehicle for enactment – the State Legislature – is inappropriate. 

    This is a matter for school boards which are locally elected and accountable. The State has no business mandating this, or anything else, on local schools.  This is a local issue, regardless of its merit or lack there of, and should be determined locally. 

    Hate Republicans and Democrats equally!   Ideological purists are deserving of contempt.

  • Is Glenn Beck A Terrorist?

    “When you are unable and incapable of effectively countering a message intellecutally, you resort to the shallow act of attacking the messenger, personally.

    That is what you have done.”

    When you’re too much of a dullard to notice that his intellectually bankrupt “message” was fairly addressed, you post garbage. “That is what you have done.”

    You’re also too much of a dullard to see your own hypocrisy; you’ve posted numerous ridiculous personal attacks on Dan Enos.

    What do you know, Flo? Less than you imagine.