Pledge of Allegiance Controversy

Okay, this is a serious one. We have a story in Portland right now that's getting a lot of attention, and it really pisses me off. Here's the gist of it:

An elementary school principal elected to have students recite the Preamble to the Constitution at a 5th grade promotion ceremony, instead of the Pledge of Allegiance. She said that she didn't want to offend Muslims, because of the "under God" clause. Holy shit, did the conservatives go crazy. My news station has been inundated with emails from right-wingers. I'll post a couple typical responses below.

Why should Americans have to change for anyone who is a 'guest' in this country? Many brave men and women died for our freedom, which is being taken away by foreigners coming here to change our way of life. If they want to change something, let them go back to their own country and change the way it is, leave America alone. This is our country, not yours. If i would go to their country and try to pull stuff like this to ban everything i didn't agree with, they would behead me before i even got the request out of my mouth. I say all foreigners need to go back to their own country, if they weren't born here.

The product of a musshy brain, shes a bit water logged and listing far to the left, emotion is not the result of a sound thinking mind...it's a weak heart she portrays, not the land of the brave, she lives in.

The principal is a worthless cunt who deserves punishment.

Sigh. This is the kind of intellectually challenging response we're getting from viewers. Beyond my own second thoughts for working in an industry that would even report this story, I am saddened by how ignorant and hateful people are. This controversy seems to legitimize for some people their own hatred and xenophobia. There are so many things wrong with this.

1. Why direct your anger at Muslims? They had absolutely no say in this decision. One woman, a principal, made the choice.

2. A lot of people are also talking about how Muslims worship one God, and so do Christians, so what's the big deal? The big deal is that they don't exactly worship the same God. Catholics especially. I doubt that Muslims are onboard with the Holy Trinity. Moreover, what about athiests, Hindus, and anyone else who doesn't worship a single God? The principal obviously handled the situation clumsily, by singling out Muslims, but plenty of people don't believe in one deity.

3. I would love to dispel the myth that the United States is a Christian nation. Don't get me wrong, I realize that the overwhelming majority of Americans identify themselves as Christians, but the fact of the matter is, we are a secular nation. Our founding fathers set it up that way on purpose. Thomas Jefferson and others weren't even Christians, they were Deists, believing in one supernatural power. But NOT the Christian concept of God and Jesus and all the rest. The references to God on our money and the Pledge of Allegience itself showed up during the 50's, in the middle of the cold war. McCarthyism obviously still exists today. I would challenge the douchebags who say we need more God in our government to remember the reason the Pilgrims left England in the first place. Since their memory is selective, I'll just say it: they were fleeing a government that wouldn't accept their minority religious beliefs. America was founded as a nation of religious freedom, including, and most important to me personally, freedom FROM religion.

4. A 5th grade promotion ceremony? Seriously? When I graduated, do you know what the reward was? 6th grade.

In summary, I give the principal of that school an A+. I give the hateful doucheloafs of the world summer school. So as not to reveal my employer, I won't post a link to the story, but I urge you to Google it and learn more.