Activism
New Pledge gathers a bit of attention at Boulder High School
Submitted by Abortions Tickle on Sat, 2007-09-29 09:20Is it just me, or is this the first protest by High School students to the pledge of allegiance?
100 students walked out after their first class in order to recite a new form of the Pledge of Allegiance.
The New Pledge:
"I pledge allegiance to the flag and my constitutional rights with which it comes. And to the diversity in which our nation stands. One nation, part of one planet, with liberty, freedom, choice and justice for all."
First off, I have to say: Go Kids! These are truly free-thinkers, and they're in High School. How remarkable is that? But it may have less to do with their uncommon ability to think outside of the box or question the status quo and more to do with the culture that they're taught in.
"If the kids want to recite the Pledge, we respect that. If they don't want to recite the Pledge, we respect that. If they want to recite a different Pledge, I guess we need to respect that," he said.
"This is not a cookie-cutter high school," he said. "These kids are experiencing the democratic process, and putting their ideas out to the community. Nothing that happened today is anti-American. Good for the kids. I'm proud that they follow the democratic process of telling the community about ideas they disagree with."
That, in and of itself, is pretty amazing to me. A principal who not only allows student protests like this, but encourages it. That's pretty freaking unique.
It's definitely encouraging that we have a rather considerable sized group protesting this.
"'We don't object to pledging to our country, but we do object to pledging to a religion,' said Ashley Guesman, 17, a protest organizer."
Seriously, these kids deserve their props, but honestly had any teenager tried this in the Bible Belt? Well, they certainly wouldn't still be around to give interviews. In all honestly, they probably would have been sent to a terrorist detainment camp.
Bush may be facing "Contempt of Congress"
Submitted by Abortions Tickle on Fri, 2007-06-29 21:16
No one was all that surprised when the Bush administration announced Thursday that it would not cooperate with congressional demands for documents and testimony by prominent former officials that would likely confirm this White House's reckless disregard for the rule of law.
What was surprising, and encouraging, was the decisiveness with which key players in Congress responded.
After the White House asserted executive privilege in rejecting subpoenas issued by the House and Senate Judiciary committees as part of the ongoing probe of abuses within the Department of Justice, House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers wasted no time expressing his sense that a Contempt of Congress citation is in order.
"The President's response to our subpoena shows an appalling disregard for the right of the people to know what is going on in their government," explained Conyers, a Michigan Democrat who is the only Judiciary Committee to have participated in the fight between Congress and the Nixon White House for Watergate-related documents. "At this point, I see only one choice in moving forward, and that is to enforce the rule of law set forth in these subpoenas."
Well, I have to say: It's about damn time. They should have issued a Contempt of Congress citation when he first got elected, because that's all he's shown them in the last 6 years.
MSNBC Anchor adamently refusing to report ...that one person we don't report on.
Submitted by Abortions Tickle on Fri, 2007-06-29 21:00Soldier in Iraq puts himself at great personal risk by refusing combat mission.
Submitted by Abortions Tickle on Thu, 2007-06-21 02:16Tell who you can. Let your neighbors, friends, and enemies know. Because this guy has the biggest balls of anyone. Ever.
Yesterday, Eli Israel refused to be a combatant in Iraq any longer.
Here's what he wrote to one of his friends back home:
I have told them that I will no longer play a ‘combat role’ in this conflict or ‘protect corporate representatives,’ and they have taken this as ‘violating a direct order.’ I may be in jail or worse in the next 24 hours.
Please rally whoever you can, call whoever you can, bring as much attention to this as you can. I have no doubt that the military will bury me and hide the whole situation if they can. I'm in big trouble. I'm in the middle of Iraq, surrounded by people who are not on my side. Please help me. Please contact whoever you can, and tell them who I am, so I don't ‘disappear.’
He stood up for something he deeply believes (believed?) in. I mean, granted; He's in the army and his life is not his own until he gets out.
But the bravery and awe-inspiring courage he exhibited with this one simple action, with one simple word, "No." No I will not fight this terrible, unjust war for you any longer. Against a mighty oppressor is something truly amazing, and most definitely rare.