This whole mess started years ago because schools were FORCING kids to say the Pledge of Allegiance against their will. A lot of the more vocal parents have been out west but I live in the south and Pledge time was always taken pretty seriously by my teachers.

If a parent or a student has a reason to avoid the pledge or the two words I don't see why it should be anyone's business. If it's just some droning mantra we're going to force our citizens to recite every morning I think it kind of loses it's meaning. We can show respect to our country and countrymen without kicking dirt all over the principals this country was founded upon.

Patriotism. The flag. The pledge. These are all a RESULT of those principals, not the other way around.