Freedom

When I was a kid the family of a friend of mine converted to Jehovah Witness. I was a little kid and really had no clue what that meant - religion was one of those things I didn't get yet - what I noticed was that my friend was no longer required to say the pledge of allegiance at school.

Now I had never been a fan of the pledge, even as a kid. But I did what all the other kids who thought the whole ritual was stupid did, say it quietly and change the words. "I pledge allegiance to Queen Fragg" or "The United Airlines of America" - you know the stuff. Juvenile but it will make a pre-teen boy laugh. But having a kid (two actually -he had a twin sister) who didn't say the pledge caused an uproar. He was berated by teachers until the school principal made the judgment call that he was excused for religious beliefs.

Again, I didn't really understand it at the time, but being the obnoxious rebel that I was (and mostly still am) I decided on my own that I no longer had to do it either. So one day when it was time to stand up my friend stayed seated, and so did I. I caught some hell for it for about a week but I stood my ground, arguing (successfully) that you couldn't make an exception for just one kid. It also helped to be the top student in the class, I must admit - it might have gone much differently if I had been middle of the pack or mediocre.

I was reminded of this today thanks to the Supreme Court of Mississippi, which in a unanimous decision ruled against a judge in that state who had made it mandatory to say the pledge in his court at the start of the day. He had fined a lawyer who didn't stand and recite $100 and thrown him in jail. The Mississippi Supremes basically called the judge an idiot and smacked his hand with a ruler.

The freedom to say (or not say) the pledge is so basic that it boggles my adult mind that there are still people in this country who attempt to force it on people. Allow me to let someone more eloquent than I am explain it all here.

And that friend? He stopped being my friend before we were out of elementary school. He also converted to bully-ism. But that doesn't mean that he wasn't right all along about this. In the end, his right to not say the pledge was a badge of honor for him. Me too.

Cheap shots (get your drink on):

Was it a mispronouncification? Hot, throbbing Koch?

Now just who was the dick here?

Samuel L. Jackson is my fucking hero.

Um, since when is a man's accent the same as the color of his skin?

This just keeps on getting worse and worse.

The Economy for Dummies, explained by someone very smart.

Now that is a headline.

Way to go Ohio.

And because I love you, The Graces