Pledge of Allegiance causes debate of its own

Every school day, 184 times a year, the Pledge of Allegiance comes on over the public address system at Blair. Most Blazers stand, reluctantly or not, while a good number of others don't stand at all - in part due to contempt for the government and in part due to just plain laziness.

Prior to 1988, standing for the Pledge at Blair was not common, but then, state officials in Annapolis discovered a rule that required students to stand for the Pledge. It wasn't until the fall of 2002, however, that a student challenged that ruling. Then-junior Elliott Wolf, now a freshman at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, in his words, "berated" by his fourth period teacher for not standing for the Pledge, an incident that prompted him to attempt to get the rule removed. "My beef was that my annoying teacher was ordering me to do something that I knew he has absolutely no right to order me to do," Wolf stated in an e-mail.

Wolf wrote a long letter to Blair Principal Phillip Gainous, explaining that "if there is truly to be 'liberty and justice for all' in this country, then students must be at liberty to express their views freely without reprisal or guilt."

Gainous said at the time that the rule was in place out of respect and did not force students to say anything, just to stand up. "We are just asking students to be respectful to others who are saying the pledge, not requiring anyone to say [the Pledge]," he said in 2002 to Silver Chips reporter Marisa Schweber-Koren.

As a result of Wolf's challenge, Gainous agreed to change the rule regarding the Pledge, so that it no longer forced anyone to stand. In a 2002 e-mail to teachers, he wrote, "the latest position of MCPS' legal department is that we no longer have the right to insist that students stand for the pledge. We can encourage it, and if they refuse we can question it in a way that is not embarrassing. If they continue to refuse, no further action is to be taken."Gainous' initial stand is reflected by some teachers still, including photography teacher Franklin Stallings, who believes students should stand. "It's all about respect for the country," says the Vietnam veteran. "People should at least stand, even if they don't say anything. If I was in another nation, I would stand for their national anthem." Stallings says that many students don't stand, and he surmises that it's a result of contempt for the government and of pure laziness. "Some kids don't like Bush, for some, they don't stand because this isn't their home country, but most are just lazy," he says.

Junior Raheisha McDaniel agrees. "Kids are just lazy about the pledge. They don't care," she says.

In an informal survey of 100 students, taken on Dec. 20, 2004, 74 percent of students said that they stood for the Pledge daily, but only about one third of those stated that they actually recited the words every morning. While some politically-minded students said they don't stand out of contempt for the Bush administration, others just said they were lazy, just as McDaniel thought.

"I don't care [about standing] because I'm lazy," comments sophomore Eli Simon-Mishel.

Junior Prince Okra says he doesn't stand "because I don't feel like it."

McDaniel says that during the Pledge, "Most kids are just talking, or whatever, and they don't pay attention to the Pledge."

Wolf surmises that laziness is one of the reasons Blazers don't stand, but that "their contempt for the current government," the Bush administration, is another factor as well.

One of those Blazers is junior Peter Lopez, who asks, "Why should I stand? It's just standing for [President George W.] Bush, and I don't like him."

Junior Eric Cemphor says he would stand if another Democrat was President. "I stood when Bill Clinton was President, and I will when they get another Democrat in office," he says.

Some don't stand because as Stallings says, students don't see America as their true home. "This isn't my home country; that's El Salvador," says junior Yendil Furcal.

Of those who replied in the poll that they do not stand for the Pledge, all responded that they do stand for the National Anthem at sporting events. The general consensus among those Blazers was that at pro sports games, everyone stands, while at Blair, it's common for nearly all students to stay seated during the Pledge for one reason or another. "Sometimes it seems lame to stand for the pledge at Blair because nobody does it, but at sporting events, I would look weird if I didn't stand," remarks senior Luke Hanlein.

There are those at Blair who also feel strongly about standing every day for the Pledge, however. "This is a great country, and we need to support it," says senior Phuson Halaam.

Other Blazers stand as a way to show support and respect for those currently serving in the U.S. Military.

"I've stood every day since I was in school, and my uncle is in Iraq, and I support him," said Algenis Liriano, a junior.

"I stand because my uncle's in the Marines," explains junior Johnny Cruz.

Some students at Blair are particularly religious, and to them, the "under God" part holds a special meaning.

Junior Gerry Powery says that he stands "because the teacher makes me." However, he also chooses to stand for religious reasons. "The only part that I care about is 'under God.' When that comes up, I've got to represent God, because I'm Catholic, and I really believe in him," Powery says.

Junior Krista Byrd tells those at her table during 5B lunch that she stands for God and out of respect for the U.S. "I stand because I respect the allegiance, and I have to show respect. I want to let everyone know that I believe in God and believe that he runs this nation. I was raised to stand," she explains.

While Powery and Byrd stand because of the controversial line "under God," an addition to the Pledge made in the 1960s and deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in San Francisco in 2003, there are those who wish the line was gone from secular public school. "I never say 'under God.' I say 'under dog,'" comments junior Jackson Vassighi. At a mall in suburban Portland, Oregon, a store was selling bumper stickers with the line "Dog is my Co-Pilot," a twist to a familiar religious bumper sticker.

"We've moved a lot of these stickers lately," commented the manager of the kiosk at the Washington Square mall in Tigard, Oregon, who did not give his name.

Junior Sam Rosenthal says not standing for the Pledge is simply disrespectful. "Even if you don't like the government, it's still important to respect all your freedoms that you get in the United States," he says.

Wolf said in 2002 that someone who does not stand is not unpatriotic and that his problem with the Pledge was more the act of being forced to recite something, a violation of the First Amendment in his opinion. "It wasn't my whole intention to make people not stand," Wolf says now, adding, "I do think that the whole idea of everyone standing and saluting an inanimate object every morning is a bit Orwellian."