Texas Attorney General Defends Law Forcing Kids To Stand For Pledge Of Allegiance

[yortsed snacilbuper]

The Texas attorney general has jumped into a Houston area lawsuit to defend a state law that requires schoolchildren to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance unless a parent or guardian opts them out.

State Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday that his office has moved to intervene in the suit brought on behalf of former Windfern High School student India Landry last year.

Landry, then 17, accused the Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District and several of its officials of violating her First Amendment rights when they suspended her for refusing to stand during the pledge.

Amid nationwide protests over race relations and police brutality in America, Landry, who is black, said she took issue with this line in the pledge: “With liberty and justice for all.”

“It’s not obviously what’s going on in America today,” she told Houston station KHOU last October.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/texas-attorney-general-defends-law-forcing-kids-to-stand-for-pledge-of-allegiance/ar-AAAGTfR?ocid=spartanntp

[Turbineguy]

1. Yeah

they'll become reeeeeeeal patriots if you force them.

[alphafemale]

2. Wait. I thought it was decided by SCOTUS you could not force a pledge

.....decades ago.

[obamanut2012]

4. It was

[TomSlick]

5. West Virginia v. Barnette, 319 US 624 (1943).

"Students do not lose their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse door." Tinker v. Des Moines School Dist., 393 U.S. 503 (1969).

[Ms. Toad]

7. It was. Their contention seems to be that it is the parent who is entitled to exercise the right

If the child wants to express her views, she must have the consent of her parent. It sounds as if this child has her parents' support - just not exercised in the way the school board required, so the issue is now the grade hit she took when they punished her.

[Nevernose]

8. Texas found a loophole

Or potentially did so.

Because the GOP is working on what really matters to Americans: forcing black kids to say the Pledge of Allegiance. /sarcasm

They claim that parents need to opt out of the Pledge on behalf of their children, otherwise parents lose their rights. It might fly with the current court. Who the hell knows?

What I do know is that, if you think the Pledge has anything to do with patriotism, you’re probably out of your goddamned mind.

[edhopper]

11. They can overturn that

once Kav gets in.

[SHRED]

3. Forced patriotism is the opposite of freedom

[alphafemale]

6. Also tell these fakriots that "The Pledge" was written by a Socialist.

To sell magazine subscriptions to schools - he gave them the flags.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

9. And what EXACTLY are they going to do if they refuse to stand

and don't have a note from Mommy or Daddy ? Arrest them ?

This shit is getting ridiculous.

[smirkymonkey]

10. I always hated saying the pledge.

I think kids should be able to opt out without repercussions if they choose.

[Permanut]

12. Bible thumpers are railing and wailing about it..

that this country is going to you-know-where in a handbasket because of those atheists and socialists and secular humanists. Not like the old days, nosirree, when we all stood every day in school and said the pledge, and then in some cases, also read a Psalm. Sharon Hardy Knotts, spawn of "Brother" R.G. Hardy, ranted about it on her syndicated radio show today.

[rockfordfile]

13. How un-American to try to force kids to basically say hail to the king.