Pledge of Allegiance supported
To those of you who wish to visit and then choose to live in my country, please take a few notes on proper etiquette when visiting someone’s home.
Whenever I visit someone’s home, I was taught to be respectful towards the invitee. I may not have agreed with all they do, but I am obligated to at least try to understand their culture, traditions and beliefs.
We now have a little girl of 13 who has decided that standing for the Pledge of Allegiance is not in her best interest and reiterated by her mother’s voice as well. I, myself, am no great fan of the education system we have now. Having said that, in this case the educators were absolutely right.
The child is in this classroom to be taught, that is her only right. Children are to respect their elders and trust that what they are being taught is for their benefit now and later in life. She has the right to refuse to pledge after she is mature enough to understand what she is truly doing. The rest of this is directed towards mom, as she seems to be the one who is ignorant as to why we pledge to the flag of the United States of America.
Well, mom, why did you choose to come here? You came here because the country you left has the caste system. In your country of origin, the cattle are treated as gods, even though they walk the streets defecating and urinating, spreading disease. You came here to be more than a pawn in a system that cannot succeed.
Facts are a stubborn thing, so let me enlighten you with some of them.
Cotton Mathers – 1663 to 1728, an American colonial clergymen and “educator,” wrote the most detailed history of the first 50 years of New England.
“The great achievement of Christ in America,” he wrote, observing the rising trend of materialism in the colonies. “Religion begat prosperity, and the daughter divorced the mother.”
In the Jefferson Memorial you will find many references to God such as:
“I have sworn on the alter of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny, over the minds of men.”
“God who gives us life, also gives us liberty among many others.”
Robert E. Lee, one of the greatest generals this country has ever produced stated, “In all my prosperities and distress, the Bible has never failed to give me light and strength.”
Benjamin Franklin stated, “A Bible, a newspaper in every house, a good school in every district, all studied and appreciated as they merit, are the principle support of virtue, morality and civil liberty.”
In 1630, John Winthrope, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony gave a speech about a “shining city on a hill,” which Ronald Reagan later so eloquently repeated.
On Dec. 11, 1783, in order to celebrate the conclusion of the Revolutionary War, he issued a proclamation for a day of Thanksgiving.
In 1836, Noah Webster, often called “the Father of American Education,” expressed the purpose for schools; “It was meant for the advancement of the Christian faith.” He stated, “In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children under a free government aught to be instructed. … No truth is more evident to my mind than that of the Christian religion must be the passion of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.”
Francis Scott Key inspired after an outcome that did not seem possible, wrote a little tune, “The Star Spangled Banner.” You may have heard it.
Mitchell Paige was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his bravery on Guadalcanal, in the Solomon Islands, after the Marines in his platoon had been killed or wounded. For hours Paige operated four machine guns, single-handedly stopping an entire Japanese regiment and preventing them from regaining the airfield the Marines had secured earlier and had control.
In later years he was asked, “Why would he place his life in jeopardy for his country?” He said, “The answers took him back to a Pennsylvania three-room school where the children were so steeped in the traditions of America that they literally felt themselves a part of a glorious heritage, where the teachers opened the school day with a bible verse and the Pledge of Allegiance and where they memorized all the great documents that established the bedrock of America, such as the Gettysburg Address.”
Now, I could go on and on, but let’s end this. I’ve made my point. I did not always agree with my teacher, but looking back I respected them and came to love and revere some. Thank God for Carl Seleasman, he made history come alive.
Teachers listen well, you have no idea how you impact a person’s life when they see you back down from what you know is right, you cripple them. When they see the ACLU remove your spine and become more concerned with losing a paycheck. Remember you have the future right before your eyes.
So in ending let me state clearly, mom, if you’re not going to be part of the solution and remain part of the cancer that plagues this country, why don’t you just leave. No one will miss you.
Some things should change, but some things must never change.
Les Odroneic is a resident of Masontown.