How I Stood Up for My Right to Sit Down: a 10-Year-Old Atheist Tells His Story

[pokerfan]

<My dad> said to me that it was okay if I stood and said the pledge, and it was okay to not say the pledge. But avoiding my problems was unacceptable. So I decided to talk to the principal.

Before I did that, I went online and researched the court cases of kids sitting during the pledge. I put “student pledge lawsuit” into Google. There were a lot of links that came up. There was one from Brownsville, Pennsylvania, where a middle-school student was first punished for not standing during the pledge, but then she was allowed to sit.

When I went to the principal, I said I was uncomfortable about saying the pledge and I spoke to my teacher, and he said I had to say the pledge. I said to the principal that I did some research on the law. Then the principal said I did not have to say the pledge, and it was his job to find the laws of school.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2014/01/27/how-i-stood-up-for-my-right-to-sit-down-a-10-year-old-atheist-tells-his-story/

Grover Helton with sister Kelly

[cbayer]

1. I can't get this to open.

Are there are lot of large images in the article? My connection is really slow.

Anyway, what I can read of it I find wonderful. I love kids like this.

[pokerfan]

6. nope, just the one pic (nt)

[cbayer]

7. I finally got it open. Great story.

Thanks for sharing it.

This kid is going to be a great adult, imo.

[bravenak]

2. What an intelligent young man, I feel proud of him myself.

The original pledge didn't say 'one nation under god' it said ' one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all' . It actually sounds better when you leave the god part out, the flow is better. Once you say it the right way, you notice how strange it sounds the godly way.

[elleng]

3. a good principal!

'Then the principal said I did not have to say the pledge, and it was his job to find the laws of school.'

[unblock]

4. i always sat down during the pledge ever since 3rd grade.

teachers never objected. the school district was conservative, but the teachers knew the law.

it was the other kids who objected, and not very nicely. this the teachers gleefully let happen.

i just said, "i said the pledge once. are your pledges only good for one day?"


shut them right up.

[hrmjustin]

5. Smart kid!