Anti-Pledge Website
Why students shouldn't say the US pledge at school
Students shouldn't say the pledges at school
If you have something to say put it in the comments box.
Position Paper
Students should not say the United States pledge because it infringes on their rights. Although you are required to say the pledge, because it contains "Under God" (A line not included originally) students who do not agree can get a note excusing from the pledge, but this should not be controlled so tightly.
Texas is unusually strict about pledging, perhaps because it fought so hard to gain independence from Mexico so it thinks the flag deserves respect. This theory is supported by the fact that they have also passed a law saying that Texans have to say the state pledge as well as the national pledge, so Texas is frequently used as an anti-pledge foothold in debates about this issue. Some on the pro-pledge side say that it is a good thing that people say the pledge because people died to give it to them. However, America is a free country and so people should be able to use their rights to keep themselves from being forced to say it. Also, why should you say the pledge to a country you might not believe is going the right way? After all, the current approval ratings for the government are below fifty percent, and three fourths of those on debate.com agree: if you think the country is going down the wrong track, there is no reason to pledge your allegiance to it. Perhaps, if problems are solved, these statistics may change, but otherwise there is no reason you should be forced to say the US pledge unless you want to. If there was ever a gigantic war, one day, and you said the pledge that morning even if you don’t agree, would you want to be caught on the side of the wrong country? Take a moment to consider these dangers. Say you were an exchange student in China, and you said the Chinese pledge that morning. Then there was a war between China and your country (Let’s use the US) broke out. Would you want to be caught swearing your undying allegiance to the wrong country in a huge war?
Interviews
Zane: Yes, I like it
Andrew: Shouldn't be forced to