Ten-year-old Won't Recite Pledge Until Gays Can Marry
Here's an act of defiance on the part of a ten-year-old that deserves some applause, rather than a sit-down in a corner. It all began when Will Phillips refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance in a West Fork, Arkansas elementary school.
Why did he do so? Not because it has the phrase "Under God" in it, which some have protested against. No, he did so because of the phrase "Liberty and Jutice for All" in it.
Speaking to CNN's John Roberts on CNN's American Morning on Monday, Will said he remained seated four straight days while his classmates repeated the words, "with liberty and justice for all."
Will, who wants to be a lawyer, said he was analyzing the meanings of the Pledge of Allegiance, the weekend before his protest. When asked what he found in the Pledge that caused him refusal, Will said:
"Well, I looked at the end and it said 'with liberty and justice for all.' And there isn't really liberty and justice for all. There's ... Gays and lesbians can't marry. There's still a lot of racism and sexism in the world. Um, yeah."When asked what he told his substitute teacher when he was given grief over the issue, Will said:
Roberts: "So you think then that the country isn't living up to the ideals of the Pledge, and you took it upon yourself to sit down, not recite the Pledge Allegiance until the country comes in line to embody the ideals that are embodied in the Pledge.
Will: "Yes."
"I eventually, very solemnly -- with a little bit of malice in my voice -- said, 'Mam, with all due respect, you can go jump off a bridge.'"While his father initially reacted as most parents might, which is with anger, once he spoke to Will and realized the reason for his stance, his tune changed, and he became supportive. Once again, when asked why he took the position he did, Will said:
"Because I have many -- I've grown up with a lot of people and good friends with a lot of people that are gay and I really -- I think they should have the rights all people should. And I'm not going to swear that they do."This video is from CNN's American Morning, broadcast Nov. 16, 2009, via Raw Replay.
8 comments:
Very sad that a 10 year old has to take a stand for beliefs that are a abomanation.
That kid is brilliant and well beyond his years in maturity and is highly insightful.
Maybe if more people thought about the words they were reciting, we could have a more intelligent debate... rather than things like "KEEP YOUR GOVERNMENT OUT OF MY MEDICARE"
Very sad that some people are still bigots in the world and feel the need to comment on a blog saying that gay people are abominations.
The perception and maturity of this kid is admirable. He's got guts. What's very sad is the fact that certain people leave vague, anonymous comments that attempt to look intelligent and make a point but are spelled wrong.
remember people:
the bible says a loving relationship is bad if it involves two people of the same sex.
BUT...
it's perfectly ok to take young girls as sex slaves, dismember infants in front of their parents and rape wives in front of their husbands, hold entire towns responsible for the crimes of the few, it's ok to own slaves - and beat them to death so long as they dont die immediatly from their injuries...
i could go on but whats the point?
An abomination is what you have when people put blind, unthinking faith in the words of prejudiced old men.
Imagine: a ten-year-old who has 1. thought about the Pledge, 2. thought about what it means to be free, and 3. is willing to take a stand for actual freedom and liberty. The repukes could take a lesson from him.
OMG... this is a 10 year boy! How many gay and lesbian people does he know? And has he read the new hate crimes bill...??? They now have more rights than most of us. Get real and deal with life folks - marriage is one man and one woman.
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