It’s amazing what can spark outrage on a slow news day at Newsmax, isn’t it? Damn, can’t they get some bamboo sniffing pandas down at the Arizona audit to bite Vernon Jones in the butt or something? We need action! We need a story!
Until something more interesting happens, Newsmax works with what it’s got. Here’s the offensive clip of the high school student and of the righteously indignant Newsmax anchor.
GOP political strategist and talk show host Mark Vargas said today that a Fairfax, VA high school student who said the Pledge of Allegiance at graduation using the words “under Allah” instead of “under God,” should be criminally prosecuted. pic.twitter.com/VGbjnxM8Km
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) June 11, 2021
Here’s the original offense.
Here is the student saying the Pledge at graduation that Vargas says is a criminal offense. pic.twitter.com/MhsJqRfHVA
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) June 11, 2021
There are a few ways to look at this: Allah translates as God to some people. If there is only one God, and all religions are merely impartial understandings of the one, true God, then what does it matter what you call Him? Or Her?
Also, God wasn’t in the pledge of allegiance until the 1950’s when godless communism was making everybody paranoid. So if the pledge survived without the word “God” before, maybe it could do so again.
Or, another way to look at this, is that it’s part of the Deep State plot by the POCs to destroy our Christian nation, so on and so forth and if that’s the call you made, congratulations, you too can go to work programming Newsmax.
Bottom line, it’s a small thing and to make such a big deal of it is much ado about nothing.
And here’s a final thought: If this kid had said “One nation under Trump” then what would have happened? Right-wingnuttia would probably have taken out a GoFundMe for his education and he’d be on his way to being installed as the next Charlie Kirk by right-wing media.
That’s what happens when a parrot-like recitation of a 19th century idea is forced on people. The original was “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” and was accompanied by a Nazi style salute
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Students_pledging_allegiance_to_the_American_flag_with_the_Bellamy_salute.jpg
Have any of them ever met a language other than English?
Do they understand that her version is protected by the 1st amendment, just like the one we recited in German (because it was during that class)?
Um, a bit more to the point here, folks: Under exactly what law would this be a CRIMINAL action in the first place? There’s this little thing called the First Amendment which protects ALL religious speech and action*–even, apparently, being able to disrespect trans students by using pronouns and names that don’t reflect the student’s identity. (It is interesting that this story originates with a student in Virginia which is the same state where a PE coach sued for being suspended for deliberately using the wrong pronouns with a trans student.)
*There are some limits to religious actions but it’s always on the state’s part to show why the state has an interest in the actions. For instance, animal sacrifice is a key part in the practice of Santeria but the state has an interest to ensure the animals are not subject to any undue suffering (and to a lesser degree why the state has an interest in overseeing kosher and halal certification, although these also fall under food safety guidelines). It’s also why Catholic churches can be exempt from provisions concerning minors and alcohol (and why the Catholic Church was largely exempt from Prohibition–even today, there are very few Catholic churches located in “dry” counties but the few that may exist tend to be allowed to use wine in Communion services).
Vargas is obviously too stupid to be talking to the public.
There are reasons we call them Right Wing NUT Jobs.
The speed of light is 186,000 miles per SECOND. It will go around the earth 7x in one second. Takes 8 minutes at that speed for sunlight to reach us. The next closest star is 4 light years away. The center of our galaxy, the Milky Way is 26,000 light years away AT THAT SPEED. There are an estimated 350 billion galaxies. As a Religion major, all faiths point to whatever ‘God’ as the creator/source. Our culture produces people who have no clue what they are talking about. They don’t even know where they phucking are. Hey aholes, feeling strongly about something doesn’t make it true or you as a goddamn expert. By the way, the Torah clearly indicated God’s name is too holy to be known. Funny, Taoism states that clearly in the first line of the philosophy. Idiots on parade.