Modulator

Orange Coast College Student Government Gets Rid of the Pledge

There will be no more reciting of the pledge of allegiance at Orange Coast College student government meetings:

Student leaders at a community college voted to drop the Pledge of Allegiance after a tense meeting in which one flag-waving pledge supporter berated them as anti-American radicals.

Orange Coast College's student trustees voted Wednesday not to recognize the pledge, with three of the five board members saying it should be dropped from their meetings.

Board member Jason Ball argued that the pledge inspires nationalism, violates the separation between church and state with the phrase "under God," and is irrelevant to the business of student government.

Since these student "leaders" have taken it upon themselves to make a "statement" by rejecting the United States Flag, I wonder if these same student "leaders" would be willing to make an even bigger "statement" by rejecting all government-supplied financial aid as well.

Nope, not until the government stops collecting the funds used for financial aid via taxation.

Update (11/21/06): It's back for now:

At an intense two-and-a-half-hour meeting in the faculty lounge, the student trustees listened to — and often expressed — passionate opinions both for and against making the pledge an official item. In the end, by a 3-2 vote, the board opted to reinstate the pledge as an "opportunity" for any attendees who wish to recite it and promised to hold a forum or take an opinion poll in the near future to determine students' feelings on the matter.

"In my view, this is a fair compromise," said student body president Lynne Riddle, who suggested the compromise that the trustees accepted but is not a voting member of the board. "I feel strongly still that the board made no mistake. However, we have heard additional voices from students and the community."

If they can create an environment that supports those who do and those who don't choose to recite the pledge great. If not, then eliminating it was the correct choice.