To the Editor:
Why is it then that children must brush their teeth? The answer
is obvious, dental hygiene. Do many children fully know why they
must do it? No, but they’re made to do it anyways. I don’t expect a
student in the first grade to fully understand why they’re made to
go to school and learn, but I certainly expect them to go. In fact,
much like the law requiring the Pledge of Allegiance The Collegian
is opposing, all legislatures have codified mandatory attendance
for youngsters.
I’ll agree with the Collegian to a certain point; high school
students, and I’m even willing to give them middle school students,
maybe shouldn’t be required. I will not relent in teaching our
younger students, though, some sort of obligation to the home we
live in. When you live in this country, you are obliged to pledge
your allegiance to it. You don’t have to pledge allegiance to the
specific regime in power. But the principles of our founding should
be made important. Children will come to understand why their
brushing their teeth is important, and the same for pledging to
uphold the principles of country can be said. If they find the
pledge inappropriate, let them object, when they can understand
their objection to the Pledge as much as another’s support of
it.
The Collegian says that requiring the pledge is the ideology of
extreme nationalism; I say the requirement I pay student fees for
things I don’t support is the ideology of extreme communism. I
don’t like doing that, I shouldn’t be required to do so. Oh wait,
yes I should. I’m willingly a student at Colorado State, and pledge
my allegiance to this institution. Most importantly, I’m a citizen
of this country, and whole-heartedly pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
Robert Lee
Senior, political science
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