hairylunch

Interesting free speech case and ruling: "A federal judge has declared a state law requiring students to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional, stating it violated the rights of a Palm Beach County student who sued the state last year. U.S. District Judge Kenneth L. Ryskamp also ruled unconstitutional the provision of the 1942 Florida law requiring students to obtain permission from their parents to be excused from reciting the pledge."

There's a silly quotation in the article from a representative: "What a federal judge has done is taken away patriotism from our schools." Right . . . because having students recite the pledge in a ritualistic manner in the morning instills patriotism . . . While I'm not against the Pledge, I'm dubious that many students attach any meaning to it. I know that when I was in school, it was something I did without thinking about it, and not really understanding what I was saying till I was in high school. By the time I was in high school, I was omitting the "under God" portion.

I doubt the ruling will make much of a difference though - most high schools, and our society, rewards herd behavior, and a student would probably take a lot of flak if they choose to remain seated or not recite the Pledge.