Why 10-Year-Old Won’t Say Pledge Of Allegiance

Will Phillips of West Fork School District in Washington County, Arkansas, refuses to say the Pledge of Allegiance. His family is involved in the gay rights issue, straight allies to that community, and Will doesn’t believe there is “liberty and justice for all” in America.

Laura Phillips is Will’s mother. “Yes, my son is 10,” she said. “But he’s probably more aware of the meaning of the pledge than a lot of adults. He’s not just doing it rote recitation. We raised him to be aware of what’s right, what’s wrong, and what’s fair.”

On October 5, after asking his parents it was legal to do so, he sat down during his class’s recitation of the Pledge.  The substitute teacher that week became more and more agitated each day with Will’s refusal to stand and, when she kept pressing the issue Phillips told her, “With all due respect, Ma’am , you can go jump off a bridge.”  After Will’s parents spoke with the school, which admitted he had the right not to stand, they asked for an apology from the teacher, but have not received one.

After Phillips put a post on the instant-blogging site twitter.com about the incident, several of her friends got angry and alerted the news media. Meanwhile, Will Phillips still refuses to stand during the pledge of allegiance. Though many of his friends at school have told him they support his decision, those who don’t have been unkind, and louder.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.