Last month, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida filed suit against a high school on behalf of a student who claims he was harassed and ridiculed by teachers and administrators for not standing and participating in the Pledge of Allegiance. The issue arose because of a Florida law that states students must receive written permission from their parents before they can refuse to recite the oath. The ACLU claims the law to be unconstitutional.

I do not believe the ACLU has a case. Children have few, if any, constitutional rights until they're 18. The rights of the parents supercede all of their rights, so Florida's law requiring permission slips seems reasonable. Americans do not like being told that certain members of the populace have no rights. However, there are three types of people who have no rights or whose rights are superceded by others: Children (under 18), those mentally unfit, and those in the military.

I do not buy the mentality of most people who turn their backs on the flag or who refuse to stand and salute it or participate in the pledge. Sure, they have their constitutional right to not stand, but their reasoning is usually questionable.
Most say they do not respect the actions America is taking, or approve of what the president is doing, or Congress, etc., so they do not stand. Or sometimes they have some kind of "understanding" that this is what America truly means.

The student in this case said he thinks the flag stands for "freedom, liberty, and equality." He claims the recent actions that America has taken have tarnished these tenets, and that is why he refuses to stand for the pledge.

If he truly believes the flag stands for “freedom, liberty, and equality,” why not respect it by standing respectfully and pledging his allegiance to that flag? There is no part of the pledge that says, "I pledge allegiance to the President of the United States of America." One pledges his or her allegiance to the country and the republic, not to any one individual. One is pledging himself or herself to the ideals of America, not to the people who run it.

People claim to have this bounding patriotism where they think they know, better than anyone else, what America means, and therefore do not have to participate with their fellow Americans. The pledge is something that is meant to unite us as a country, as a people. It is not meant to cause controversy.

I do not understand groups like the ACLU. They are constantly taking the stance that the individual is greater than the whole. But really, that is the stance of most Americans today.

Everyone thinks in the short term -- what is best for them at that moment. No one seems to consider the long-term effects of anything any more. We have a system now that rewards the least deserving members of society with respect, consideration, and praise.
If someone feels they are a victim of racism, sexism, sexual harassment, etc., they are, and nothing anyone can say can challenge their claim.

If someone says he or she is a victim, there are countless organizations that will take up their cause without the slightest regard for truth or circumstance.
We are in a sad shape in this country. This politically correct insanity is out of control, and it is time we all recognized it for what it is.

I still respect the ideals of America -- the philosophies upon which this country was founded. That is why I stand for the pledge. That is why I place my hand over my heart. That is why I truly believe the words I say. These people have a false notion of true patriotism. One does not defy the symbols of America, or even America itself and claim to be patriotic.

One ideal that our American school system is supposed to instill in its students is that of respect. The fact that this student would not stand for the pledge, even though every other student in the class was standing, shows me that he has little or no respect for the beliefs of his fellow students.

When someone wins a gold medal at the Olympics, his or her national anthem is played. Those who took silver and bronze, as well as the people in the audience, stand out of respect for that person and their country. Why can’t this student, as well as every other person that, for whatever reason, does not stand and recite the pledge, just stand quietly out of respect for the vast majority of people who do?

Even though it is someone’s constitutional right to refuse to stand and recite the pledge, I still believe it is very disrespectful to everyone else who does.