American Student Punished for Refusing to Cite the Mexican Pledge
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
A Texas high school student has filed a federal lawsuit
against her school and her teachers after she was punished for refusing
to salute and recite the Mexican pledge of allegiance.
The Thomas More Law Center filed the suit on behalf of Brenda Brinsdon alleging the McAllen Independent School District violated the 15-year-old girl’s constitutional rights when she was forced to recite the Mexican pledge and sing the Mexican national anthem.
Brinsdon, who is the daughter of a Mexican immigrant and an American father, refused. She believed it was un-American to pledge a loyalty oath to another country.
Ironically, the school district has a policy that prohibits a school from compelling students to recite the American Pledge of Allegiance.
The Thomas More Law Center filed the suit on behalf of Brenda Brinsdon alleging the McAllen Independent School District violated the 15-year-old girl’s constitutional rights when she was forced to recite the Mexican pledge and sing the Mexican national anthem.
Brinsdon, who is the daughter of a Mexican immigrant and an American father, refused. She believed it was un-American to pledge a loyalty oath to another country.
Ironically, the school district has a policy that prohibits a school from compelling students to recite the American Pledge of Allegiance.
21 comments:
It would have been better reporting if you had mentioned that this was a Spanish class assignment.
Now it was a poor choice of assignments and the student should have been allowed to opt out but you give this an exaggerated meaning by resorting to sensationalism.
The Spanish teacher should be fired immediately, if not sooner.
It never ceases to amaze me as to the length Liberals will go to block assimilation of immigrants into "main stream" American society. Surely this, so called, "assignment" could have been better spent on a far more constructive subject. Liberalism is an invasive malignancy, the spread of which begins at and continues through, K-12!
McAllen is a border city. I'm not at all surprised.
Which part of that is sensationalism, Ducky?
I should hope it's a Spanish class assignment!
That is the exact reason I spoke of the cheap way we look at oaths and pledges .. honesty doesn't matter, allegiance doesn't matter anymore.
No, I'm absolutely right on this. Teach the pledge of any country; our kids don't say it as a pledge and that is why this child balked. God bless her for her understanding the difference at her younger age.
Cons on Fire...I agree. It's the mindset, having the say the pledge, not just study it. And, truly, why study it? :)
JonBerg...there's beautiful Spanish poetry they could read out loud. It's comments like Ducky's which reflect that mindset America never had before, his and others' deliberate mischaracterization, which is becoming our downfall.
Z - We should stop it. Pledges and oaths to different countries should not be said in America.
Even if it was an assignment in a Spanish class - the student shouldn't be forced to say it.
When I took French in high school we learned to sing the French national anthem - but never said a pledge or oath to that country.
A student should not be forced to utter any pledge, Mexican or American.
This was an atrocious decision for an assignment on the teachers part.
Question Man...I don't call you names, you won't stay here when you call me and my wonderful readers names.
thanks.
Constitutional Ins...I completely disagree. Yes, American children do well to learn the pledge, study it, and say it.
I find it worse that you don't think so than the fact that so many don't.
Sue, I think you've captured the exact truth on this. Thanks so much
Sorry, but I think Ducky is closer to being right on this than anyone else.
It all depends in the CONTEXT and PURPOSE of the assignment.
Good Heavens! In 1957, when I was still in high school, the All-State Chorus sang a wonderful, souped up version of The RUSSIAN National Anthem -- a really spectacular arrangement. We were still in the midst of the most virulent anti-Communist period in our history -- EVERYBODY feared and despised "The Reds," everybody but the rotten "Reds," themselves, that is -- and yet no one back then would have dreamed of interpreting our conductor's choosing to perform this glorious music as a "subversive activity" or a sign of disloyalty to the United States.
Of course this was shortly before the country lost its mind and started to foam at the mouth with hysteria at the slightest hint of controversy.
As I keep trying to communicate, "words" by themselves mean NOTHING. We could -- and probably should -- study the texts of any religion not our own, and learn about the laws, customs and mores of far flung societies, if only to increase out understanding of others and broaden our outlook.
I once read the Constitution of the U.S.S.R. just to what it said. As it turned out, it sounded astoundingly benevolent, which just goes to show you once again that words in and of themselves have little value. What matters is the interpretation we place on them.
I doubt very much if this girl was being "forced" to switch her allegiance from the United States to Mexico. She obviously misunderstood what was being required of her, and overreacted.
We need to review, and understand better, the meaning of the term "academic exercise."
Z, you're so right! This is just another example of political correctness on steroids!
Hooray for this student who is suing. It's about time people stood up for our country.
FT, you're entitled to that opinion, but I completely disagree....I published this because I do believe pledges of allegiance are something we should honor and I think we don't take those things seriously anymore.
Also, nobody said she was forced to change her allegiance (though I have read of quite some attempted brainwashing in schools on the border by teachers who have had to be let go when parents balked because it had become so bad)...
I think all she should have had to say was "I just feel awkward doing that" and that should have been "case closed"...
I also think studying a pledge is quite different than making one.
By the way, why not discuss and have the children recite Spanish poetry if all the teacher was trying to do was get SPanish in their ears and mouths, which should definitely be part of any foreign language training?
Pris, absolutely.
The nuance in this story is seductive in a way that people can think "what's the big deal?" but I think, with the background of other teachers being let go for this kind of thing, and the way our children don't take things too seriously anymore, and the fact that so many come to our country NOT desirous of honoring this country which is supporting them, all makes it suspect.
I applaud her and I applaud the law firm.
Which part of that is sensationalism, Ducky?
I should hope it's a Spanish class assignment!
----
But that wasn't stated and it is relevant.
The headline shrieks as if some teacher pulled this out of the air. It was misguided but probably not malevolent.
Z - "Yes, American children do well to learn the pledge, study it, and say it.
I find it worse that you don't think so than the fact that so many don't."
You recognize a distinction between 'doing well to learn' and 'being forced to recite', do you not?
I don't think school is the appropriate forum for social engineering of any stripe. That's what parenting is for.
I say the following as a teacher of foreign language (Spanish and Latin)....
I see nothing wrong with learning the national anthem of another country -- as part of one lesson plan, not on a daily basis.
But reciting that country's pledge of allegiance? That's a bridge too far, IMO.
Here in Northern Virginia, students who are foreign nationals are not required to recited our Pledge of Allegiance. They do stand during our National Anthem and learn the words, too, I think.
Mexican Pledge of Allegiance:
This is it:
Bandera de México,
Legado de Nuestros Héroes,
Símbolo de la Unidad
de nuestros Padres
y de nuestros Hermanos.
Te prometemos:
Ser siempre fieles
a los principios de
la libertad y la justicia,
que hacen de Nuestra
Patria la Nación
Independiente, humana
y generosa a la que
entregamos nuestra
existencia.
I´ve never seen a translation of it, but I´ll do my best.
Mexican flag
legacy from our heroes
symbol of the unity of our parents **
and our brothers **
We promise you:
To be always loyal
to the principles of freedom and justice
that makes this an independant,
human and generous nation ,
to which we dedicate our existance.
See the note at the bottom of the source:
**In spanish the word "padres" and "Hermanos" mean parents and brothers but in this case, parents might be translated to "our ancestors" and brothers might refer to the fact of considering all country men...
National Anthem of Mexico, with lyrics in Spanish and English.
Are they also learning The National Anthem of Spain?
Constitutional: Sadly, I think most parents couldn't care less about the Pledge of Allegiance.
So, I'm happy to be teaching it to preschoolers as part of my Wee Americans curriculum. I'm surprised how much they understand when we talk about freedom and justice.
The preschool is a Christian one and they also say a pledge to the Christian flag, rarely, but they do...which gives me the creeps, frankly.
I agree with you as far as that's concerned.
AOW...thanks for all of that.
I don't know what else they're doing. We don't know from the article how often they did this, etc.
I am only saying a PLEDGE is inappropriate. To discuss the language, FINE! NO PROBLEM.
To sing the song to learn Spanish a few times..FINE!
But for that little girl to refuse for the reasons she gave? BRAVO, SENORITA!
Post a Comment