# I Pledge Allegiance to Bugs Bunny and the United States of America! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 15, 2003, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pledge-allegiance-to-bugs-bunny-and-the-united-states-of-america/207561 "2003-10-15T13:15:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DaveX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/96bed5/32.png) [@DaveX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveX)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pledge-allegiance-to-bugs-bunny-and-the-united-states-of-america/207561/21 "2003-10-16T15:42:54Z")
Actually, it looks like RexDart is partinally right. Here’s what I found on the statute: > [@](#): > > 53A-13-101.6. Instruction on the flag of the United States of America. > > (3) (a) The pledge of allegiance to the flag shall be recited: > (i) at the beginning of the day in each elementary public school in the state; and > (ii) once a week at the beginning of a school day in each public secondary school in the state. > (b) Each student shall be informed by posting a notice in a conspicuous place that the student has the right not to participate in reciting the pledge. > © A student shall be excused from reciting the pledge upon written request from the student’s parent or legal guardian. So it looks like they are required to say it unless they have a note from their parents… ---
**Author:** ![DaveX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/96bed5/32.png) [@DaveX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveX)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pledge-allegiance-to-bugs-bunny-and-the-united-states-of-america/207561/22 "2003-10-16T16:04:49Z")
Actually, it looks like RexDart is partinally right. Here’s what I found on the statute: > [@](#): > > 53A-13-101.6. Instruction on the flag of the United States of America. > > (3) (a) The pledge of allegiance to the flag shall be recited: > (i) at the beginning of the day in each elementary public school in the state; and > (ii) once a week at the beginning of a school day in each public secondary school in the state. > (b) Each student shall be informed by posting a notice in a conspicuous place that the student has the right not to participate in reciting the pledge. > © A student shall be excused from reciting the pledge upon written request from the student’s parent or legal guardian. So it looks like they are required to say it unless they have a note from their parents… ---
**Author:** ![Blackdragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Blackdragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackdragon)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pledge-allegiance-to-bugs-bunny-and-the-united-states-of-america/207561/23 "2003-10-16T16:13:11Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by gex gex \* > \*\* > It doesn’t matter, unless you’re a teacher leading a class in the saying of the pledge. If you are, however, you’re a representative of the state and you’re advancing a religion. See first amendment._\* God is not religious. ---
**Author:** ![laigle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ce7236/32.png) [@laigle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/laigle)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pledge-allegiance-to-bugs-bunny-and-the-united-states-of-america/207561/24 "2003-10-16T16:29:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DaveX \* > \*\*So it looks like they are required to say it unless they have a note from their parents… \*\* Hmm. Looks to me like they’re going to try and bypass previous rulings by saying it’s the parents forcing them to say it, not the school. ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pledge-allegiance-to-bugs-bunny-and-the-united-states-of-america/207561/25 "2003-10-16T16:36:18Z")
I think this is appropriate: [Cut-and-pasted text deleted. – MEB] ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pledge-allegiance-to-bugs-bunny-and-the-united-states-of-america/207561/26 "2003-10-16T17:11:45Z")
Tip for **robcaro:** don’t repost misleading tripe from political spam-mail; that sort of junk gets shredded _fast_ around here. (I’d do it myself, but the network connection here is slow. I’m sure one of the other Dopers will be by in a second anyway to do the job. 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Conflict\_of\_Interest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/57b2e6/32.png) [@Conflict\_of\_Interest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Conflict_of_Interest)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pledge-allegiance-to-bugs-bunny-and-the-united-states-of-america/207561/27 "2003-10-16T17:37:28Z")
Tip for **rjung** : Don’t make accusations against someone ulsess you are willing to back them up. You may be correct that **robcaro** is re-posting misleading information but if you don’t want to do the research then you shouldn’t make the accusation in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pledge-allegiance-to-bugs-bunny-and-the-united-states-of-america/207561/28 "2003-10-16T18:21:51Z")
> [@](#): > > _Marley23 wrote:_ > It wasn’t there until 1948, when it was inserted for political purposes. This might seem at first like a minor nitpick, but I think it sheds light on the issue at hand. The “under god” part was added in 1954, during the reign of McCarthyism. It was added to separate us from those “godless commies.” It’s an ugly artifact of that era. ---
**Author:** ![NightRabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbce88/32.png) [@NightRabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NightRabbit)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pledge-allegiance-to-bugs-bunny-and-the-united-states-of-america/207561/29 "2003-10-16T18:52:02Z")
I believe that the constitutional text reads “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” etc. etc. what if congress doesn’t make a law? what if people just DO it? like, say, the statue of the ten commandments… if congress doesn’t have anything to do with it, couldn’t it be argued that it isn’t unconstitutional? “congress” doesn’t necessarily mean every governmental entity, or does it? Can’t you get all strict-constructivist on its ass and fight on this sort of literal technicality? signed, NightRabbit, an athiest who isn’t up to snuff in her constitutional law ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pledge-allegiance-to-bugs-bunny-and-the-united-states-of-america/207561/30 "2003-10-16T19:02:37Z")
Well, right or wrong, it makes good sense to me and sounds appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pledge-allegiance-to-bugs-bunny-and-the-united-states-of-america/207561/31 "2003-10-16T21:02:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by robcaro \* > \*\*Well, right or wrong, it makes good sense to me and sounds appropriate. \*\* So it doesn’t matter to you that it’s wrong. Hmmmm okay. Oh and it IS wrong. It matter little that this is the way it has been for 50 years. ---
**Author:** ![RexDart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@RexDart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RexDart)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2003, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pledge-allegiance-to-bugs-bunny-and-the-united-states-of-america/207561/32 "2003-10-16T21:09:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rjung \* > \*\*Tip for **robcaro:** don’t repost misleading tripe from political spam-mail; that sort of junk gets shredded _fast_ around here. > > (I’d do it myself, but the network connection here is slow. I’m sure one of the other Dopers will be by in a second anyway to do the job. 🙂 ) \*\* Speaking of this, there are apparently alot of totally fabricated quotes floating around that some Christian author made up, and they get regurgitated every time some Christian tries to claim that our Founding Fathers were Christians. Anyone know the specifics on this, so we can watch out for those particular fabricated quotes in the future? Nothing about the Judeo-Christian tradition is a centerpiece to American law. American law explicitly incorporated the entirety of British common law up through some specific year in the 18th century, and then built from there. The British gave us the common law, and the Athenians gave us democracy. If we’d never even _heard_ of the decalogue, we’d still be pretty much the same country we are now. ---
**Author:** ![Dogface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@Dogface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogface)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pledge-allegiance-to-bugs-bunny-and-the-united-states-of-america/207561/33 "2003-10-17T02:14:14Z")
The founders represented a cross-section of the educated men of their day. Thus, some of them were Christians, quite devout Christians. Others were not. What I have seen is that dishonest people pick just a few of them and then claim (as liars will) that ALL the founders were exactly like that. ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pledge-allegiance-to-bugs-bunny-and-the-united-states-of-america/207561/34 "2003-10-17T14:37:30Z")
> [@](#): > > _originally posted by Blackdragon_ > God is not religious. Are you serious? ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pledge-allegiance-to-bugs-bunny-and-the-united-states-of-america/207561/35 "2003-10-17T18:35:36Z")
**Moderator’s Note:** **Robcaro** , please review our [policy on copyrighted material](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=2079030#post2079030). (Incidentally, I was able to determine that the original author of that piece was evidently Michael Savage, and I was able to find his website, but I wasn’t able to find that article available on his website to be linked to. Although it seems to be floating around the Internet to some extent, it appears that Mr. Savage does not want his words to be available for free.) ---
**Author:** ![RexDart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b77776/32.png) [@RexDart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RexDart)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2003, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pledge-allegiance-to-bugs-bunny-and-the-united-states-of-america/207561/36 "2003-10-17T23:36:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by MEBuckner \* > \*\ ***Moderator’s Note:** **Robcaro** , please review our [policy on copyrighted material](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=2079030#post2079030). (Incidentally, I was able to determine that the original author of that piece was evidently Michael Savage, and I was able to find his website, but I wasn’t able to find that article available on his website to be linked to. Although it seems to be floating around the Internet to some extent, it appears that Mr. Savage does not want his words to be available for free.) \*\* Actually, I believe it’s an email that Savage received from a listener and then encouraged everyone to keep sending around as glurge-mail. He had the text up on his site this summer at some point. So that would make the author indeterminate. ( **NOT** a regular Savage listener, he’s waaaaaaay to extreme for me, but I did catch him discussing this letter sometime this summer, and when you mentioned his name it jogged my memory.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pledge-allegiance-to-bugs-bunny-and-the-united-states-of-america/207561.md?page=1)