Teen Protests After Pledge Recited In Foreign Languages

[Judi Lynn]

Teen Protests After Pledge Recited In Foreign Languages

UPDATED: 10:04 am EST March 10, 2005

MILLERSVILLE, Md. -- A ninth-grader is protesting the broadcasting of the Pledge of Allegiance in foreign languages as part of National Foreign Language Week.

"This is America, and we got soldiers at war," said 15-year-old Patrick Linton. "When you're saying the Pledge in a different language which nobody understands, that's not OK."

Linton said he and other students at Old Mill High School sat down rather than stand Wednesday when the pledge was read in Russian over the school's public address system. Linton's teacher told him if he had a problem, he should leave the room, Linton told The (Baltimore) Sun. He did, and he does not plan to return this week.

Charles Linton, Patrick's father, said the use of other languages is disrespectful to the country.

"It's like wearing a cross upside down in a church," said Charles Linton of Glen Burnie.
(snip/...)

http://www.nbc4i.com/education/4271505/detail.html

[Squatch]

1. Ya see, down heah in duh USA, we talk 'Merican.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. As my late grandmother would have said,

"Dumm geboren und nichts zugelernt." ("Born dumb and hasn't learned anything since")

Foreign language phobia is one of the less attractive aspects of American culture.

[sniffa]

what douchebags

they're probabLy the same peopLe who compLain about students who don't say the pLedge.

[meegbear]

10. And no school led prayers ...

Christian ones only, of course.

[StuckinKS]

72. Only said in English

Because Jesus spoke English.

[manly]

99. English only

There's a great story, well, it actually happened, down in Texas. They were having a heated debate about Spanish becoming the official language of Texas, because more people in the state spoke Spanish than English(or what passes for English down there). A rabid Texas representative stood up, waving a bible, and yelled," If English is good enough for Jesus, it's good enough for me!"
Isn't that wonderful?

[SmokingJacket]

3. Boy, is that ever dumb.

Poor kid. I hope he comes to his senses when he moves out of the house.

[onenote]

4. yeah, its like reading the bible in English

Dolts....

[Julius Civitatus]

61. But Jeyzus wrote the Bible in English himself...

If English is good enough for Jayzus, then is good enough for the good ol' USA. </dumb freeper>

(Cue Toby Keith's song)

[donco6]

89. While combing His long blonde hair,

and admiring his blue eyes in the mirror.

[Julius Civitatus]

96. Yes, yes, cause everyone knows that Jayzus

was a blue-eyed, blonde haired Swede born in Palestine 2000 years ago. Everyone knows that.

And he spoke English!

[onenote]

98. and he carried a concealed weapon

and he stood for the pledge of allegiance and the star spangled banner. A true patriot, that Jeezus....

onenote

[leesa]

100. So true! My Fundie office mate said a Spanish reference to the book of

Marcos was impossible...there was only the book of Mark

[tanyev]

5. Astonishing.

I wonder if he knows the Bible wasn't written in English? Or that it's available in many, many languages?

Did you see the results of the poll next to the article? 55% agree with the kid.

[Bridget Burke]

9. Oh, the King James Version was Inspired by God.

But HE WHO WROTE THE BOOK PROVIDENTIALLY IN KEEPING WITH HIS PROMISE GLORIOUSLY PRESERVED IT UNTIL THE TIME OF REFORMATION CAME. THEN THERE AROSE A GLORIOUS COMPANY OF TRANSLATORS WHO SET TO WORK TO GIVE THE NATIONS THE BIBLE IN THEIR MOTHER TONGUE. ... I HAIL THIS BOOK THIS DAY. IT REMAINS AMID THE PASSING AND INJURIES OF TIME A HOLY TEMPLE, UNPROFANED BY THE FOOT OF THE ENEMY. IT REMAINS AN INVINCIBLE BUILDING OF GOD AMIDST THE CRUMBLING RUINS OF THE CENTURY. GOD HAS PRESERVED HIS BOOK AND WILL PRESERVE IT.

"And now we come to the Bible’s Translation. ... The Reformation of the sixteenth century was the greatest revival the church had known since the day of Pentecost. It was brought about by the translation of God’s Word, and its propagation and preaching. The Reformation did not give us the Bible. The Bible gave us the Reformation. ... This is a dynamic book. The devil fears it. The pope fears it. I was arrested for giving out copies of it in Vatican Square some years ago, so I just stepped across the border into Italy and continued to give out the dynamite of God’s Word. ...


www.holybible.com/resources/KJV_defenders/KJV-IanPaisley.htm

All the Caps are the responsibilty of the writer--the Rev. Ian Paisley.

I prefer the KJV for its poetry, but get nervous when people take it literally.

[tubbacheez]

26. Reminds me of a fundie I knew...

He said, "Look, it's really simple. If the King James Bible is good enough for Moses, it's good enough for me."



This was in front of an audience of roughly 300 at a symposium on modern issues in religion.



Really simple indeed.

[zbdent]

29. Let me guess - 299 of the audience

applauded wildly . . .

[tubbacheez]

30. Heh, No, he got a smattering of initial applause...

... probably from his own church.


Then an embarrassed silence fell across the room. After a second or two the moderator posed a new discussion topic to a different panelist.

Good symposium, otherwise. :)

[LiberalFighter]

74. And if the general population had attended??

How many would believe that the Bible existed then?

[Dave Reynolds]

68. I'm glad I was not there,

hysterical laughter can disrupt a quiet symposium.

[tubbacheez]

73. I heard plenty of laughter in the hallway during a break.

You wouldn't have been alone. :)

[skip fox]

44. A woman student at my university argued with a colleague that Christ spoke

English, since it was right there in the Bible. . . . in red even!

[noonwitch]

104. I like the KJV, but do not view other versions as being "satan influenced"

Like that good old nutty Jack Chick.

[Dogmudgeon]

6. So much for Freedom Of Speech

Don't these people see the connection between language and speaking?

No, I'm not being sarcastic. And that's what really distresses me.

--p!

[BlueEyedSon]

7. Can he sign up for Iraq duty on his 16th birthday? Just askin'!

Will he be surprised when he finds out they don't speak English there!

[Charon]

95. Sign Up

No he can enlist at 17 if his parents or legal guardian give their approval.

[displacedtexan]

8. So, when Peter demanded to be crucified on an upside down cross...

... he was somehow being disrespectful to The Future Twits Of America?

This kid and his dad might be This Week's Backside Of The Bell Curve Award Winners on my blog tomorrow!

[MAlibdem]

11. No national language...

so no, it's not disrespectful.

We also have large numbers of immigrants in the military.

[skypilot]

12. Jesus, it was National Foreign Language Week...

...you little fucking brat. I bet his parents go around calling people commies all the time and he probably had a knee-jerk reaction to hearing Russian. Probably thought the Cold War had just started all over again.

[Ilsa]

15. You write like one of my best friends speak.

Are you Dave? I bet like me and Dave, you're figuring this will have to end in bloodshed and a revolution. (I guess you figure I love your post.)

[skypilot]

17. I haven't had any coffee yet, so...

...I'm not sure I understand your post. Are you being sarcastic or are you complimenting me?

[Ilsa]

46. Most definitely complimenting you. Your post gave me a

great laugh to clear the lungs and breathe deeply this morning.

[skypilot]

53. Oh, cool.

There was just something in the wording that made me unsure. Things have been kinda testy around here lately so I'm a little on guard sometimes. Glad I could help start your day of with a good laugh.:-)

[Ilsa]

71. I forget to use emoticons to help clarify my mood.

Sometimes my wording comes off stiff, so it doesn't sound sincere.

A good rip with some unexpected cuss words can really get me going. I don't get to cuss much anymore except when my kids ar ein school, and even then I hold it down to a low roar so I don't screw up in front of them. One of my kids is autistic, and I don't want him wandering down to the library saying "fuck fuck fuck" all day.

[bowens43]

13. what a dumbass

[DeaconBlues]

14. The kid missed Monday then strolled in Tuesday and heard the pledge

in a foreign language. And he uses this incident in order to decide not to go to school for the rest of the week, instead of protesting some other way. I think he was just looking for an excuse not to go to school.

I'd like to see this kid's attendence record. He sounds like a future drop-out to me.

[BlueEyedSon]

18. Well, he ain't no future ambassador! LOL!

[malachi]

24. Are you shittin' me? This little fuckin' creep would make a perfect

ambassador in the chimperor's pathetic forign service mob.

[alarimer]

36. Let's appoint him Ambassador to the UN

Sounds like the perfect post for him.

[northzax]

50. hey, no diploma, no iraq!

it's brilliant!

[David__77]

16. I agree with protesting, but not for this reason.

...

[Tempest]

19. He's going to make a good little Nazi Youth

"We're at war right now, and our schools are supposed to be patriotic," he said.

[StaggerLee]

105. What he's really saying:

blind patriotism = ignorance

Who knew?

[Scout Finch]

20. Silly me. I thought learning foreign languages was

suppose to make us all appreciate other countries and other ethnicities. What exactly is "unfair" about speaking in Russian? Ah well, poor kid was raised by a troglodyte. What can I say?

[displacedtexan]

21. I found a picture of the family!

(Or, at least, what I imagine the family looks like)

[Dave Reynolds]

69. Uhhh,

which one's momma?

[Midlodemocrat]

22. Tolerance, thy name is Republican.

[Mari333]

23. Reminds me of a woman I heard once

"If English is good enough for Jesus its good enough for all Americans!"
Pretty pathetic.

[onager]

25. One woman who said that was...

The Governor of Texas--Miriam "Ma" Ferguson. She supposedly made the comment during a debate on bilingual education:

"If the English language was good enough for Jesus Christ, it's good enough for me."

Using the King James Version has another nice twist.

King James I, who ordered the translation, was such an "out" homosexual he was known around the court as "Queen James."

[ashmanonar]

34. BWAHAHAHAHAHAA!

that's fuckin hilarious! i wonder if anyone ever got their head chopped off for calling him queen james? :scared:

and yes, anyone who says "if english was good enough for jesus, it's good enough for me" or something similar is a dumbass. same with the KJV thing. stupidity personified.

[onager]

59. "Rex fuit Elizabeth: nunc est regina Jacobus"

Translation: "Elizabeth was King: now James is Queen."

That was a favorite one-liner of Sir Walter Raleigh at the time. This is mentioned by Catherine D. Bowen in The Lion and the Throne.

Naturally, we won't find this stuff on such websites as "jebus-is-lord.com." They really huff and puff to "disprove" the idea of a gay Buy-bull translator.

That's odd. When I went to London a few years ago, I picked up a little book about all the English kings--one of those things you can buy in any souveneir shop at Windsor or the Tower Or London.

It was very open about the fact that that James was gay. It was mentioned in the same matter-of-fact way as his hatred of tobacco and his belief in witches and demons (for most of his life, anyway).

[ashmanonar]

64. so they were more tolerant of it then...

than they are now? weird. but then, probably not so weird. even if he was gay, james was the king. he could order someone's death. "hey queen james" "OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!"

[LibertyLover]

97. "King" James

Some of the fundies have finally twigged to the fact that James I of England was gay and have told their followers not to use the King James version of the Bible because of that. If I recall correctly they want them to use the New American Standard version now.

[zbdent]

27. Makes you wonder what the kid and the parents got in English

Probably were mad because "the teacher had it in for me" . . .

[Ravenseye]

28. What the Hell is Wrong With This Country?

This kid is retarded, and why is it a story? Where is the rebuttal? There are three quotes, two agreeing with this kid, and the third sort of saying 'uh...we're just doing this...uh...'

Why not someone like his congressman saying how dumb this kid is?

[onager]

31. Not likely.

His congress-critter would be more likely to invite this moron to D.C.

The 2 of them would recite the Pledge in English for the media, with extra-loud emphasis on UNDER GOD, to show how much better we are than the heathen Russkis.

[Blue_Tires]

32. reminds me of the same kind of student/parent

that whines about why there is not a "White History Month," or can't figure out why it's a bad idea to wear a confederate flag t-shirt to a half-black school...hell, maybe he's like that other kid that wore the "Darwin Lied" t-shirt to class...who knows...

I mean, jesusfuckingchrist, this kid HAS taken a foreign language class, right?? the school system won't let him graduate without it, right (i used to live in md)??

wow...I wish my parents would let me sit out of school for a week after traumatic exposure to a language i didn't understand....This is the kind of kid that will grow up starting fights with every foreign language speaker because of the paranoia that they are talking bad about him...

and on a different level, I appreciate the want to expose kids to different languages, but i think there is a MUCH better way to do it than translating the pledge...bad taste, imo.

[dutchdoctor]

33. This kid wants the pledge to be in English even though he doesn't speak it

"This is America, and we got soldiers at war,"
Ehm, English is a foreign language for me, so excuse me if I am wrong, but shouldn't that be HAVE soldiers at war?

[NYC]

85. You are correct.

:hi:

[last_texas_dem]

90. Very good point

I hear that so much, it (sadly) didn't even jump out at me upon initially reading the article. Oh, the irony- a kid getting up-in-arms about not respecting the English language and this misusing it himself!

[SammyWinstonJack]

101. He's just using the same 'English' language his beloved

president uses. DUHbya The Destroyer of the English Language.

[msongs]

35. only english speaking people can go to heaven..............

after all, the bible is written in english is it not? The tele-preachers preach in english, do they not? the pledge of allegiance mentions ONLY the christian god, does it not? George W Bush gives his speech in english, does he not? and he is the new messiah, is he not?


Msongs
www.msongs.com/vvpb our paper ballot proposal for CA

[VegasWolf]

37. Saying bush gives his speeches in English is kinda pushing it, don't

ya think :)

[Rose Siding]

38. Some of those soldiers "we got" have families that don't speak English

Is that ok, you little twerp?

[meganmonkey]

39. The poll on that link is one of the scariest parts!

A teen is protesting the broadcasting of the Pledge of Allegiance in foreign languages as part of National Foreign Language Week. Does his argument have merit?

---Yes, I agree. The Pledge should only be in English.
56%

---No, there is nothing wrong with the Pledge being broadcast in other languages.
18%

---This is much ado about nothing.
26%

[VegasWolf]

40. "It's like wearing a cross upside down in a church," Ah, another tolerant

Aryan Christian doing god's work in the good ole USA.

[Lilyhoney]

41. This might be the "thing" that helps this youth change

I grew up in an ignorant home where I was conditioned to be ignorant even though I was the smartest kid in my class. It was'nt until I was 19 yrs old that I had a personal moment of "knowing" just how wrong I had been. This feeling touched me so deeply it woke me up to the truth.
Instead of dumping negativity toward the misguided, we should create a vision of them waking up from their dark slumber of ignorance.
Can anybody tell me at what age is it too late to wake up?

[Il_Coniglietto]

42. What a little brat!

I imagine he would complain about my Spanish class. We recite the Pledge in English and Spanish every morning.

It would be bad enough if we were just talking about a dumb kid, but it looks like the apple didn't even fall from the tree.

[trogdor]

43. Gee.

Does this kid read Mein Kampf in the original German?

[BiggJawn]

45. If 2 languages is bi-lingual, what do you call someone who...

..speaks only ONE language?

A MURKAN!

So, are the Lintons trying to earn enough money to make their way back to their incestral home in the Ozarks?

[darkism]

52. Haha, "incestral home"

Cute and clever :p

[Judi Lynn]

57. Agree! Good one.n/t

[enki23]

47. hey, he and i have a lot in common.

i oppose making school kids listen to the pledge in only one more language than he does.

[Niccolo_Macchiavelli]

48. never got the use of this nationalistic ritual.

pledge in school, anthem at the games...

I'm "insert any country" citizen, so what? Am i superior now? Do i get something for free?

*shakes head*

[Kellanved]

49. nice kid

Should read up on international alliances and organizations, but still...


I wonder what he thinks about foreign exchange students getting forced/encouraged to take part in the pledge, but somehow I have the feeling that that practise is fine by hím. :eyes:

[onenote]

51. learning foreign languages is a waste of time

When we finish "freeing" everyone, they'll all speak English....

onenote

[Heidi]

54. I'll take Mr. Linton's assertions more seriously . . .

when he speaks the English language more fluently.

"This is America, and we got soldiers at war," said 15-year-old Patrick Linton.

[delilah]

55. Can everyone see me rolling my eyes?

Cuz i can keep doing it, til this little goober gets it.

Someone write that school and demand that they do the Pledge in Cherokee for a few years. And for the love of GOD, fire their entire history department.

I betcha he's too busy cramming for his final on "intelligent design" to even bother learning a foreign language anyhow.

[0007]

56. Who's that guy on the left of junior? The kid's '0 man?

[Judi Lynn]

58. I think it's the guy who was on the wire to Bush during the debates! n/t

[bushisanidiot]

60. One language, One God, One King of the USA

hey kid, you could run for head Nazi when you're votin' age.

[HockeyMom]

65. Husband's Boss

came here from England several years ago. When he got off the "boat", so to speak, they asked him if he spoke English and to PROVE IT. ROFL The man looked at them incredulously and said, "Sir, you Colonists are speaking MY language and you damned well better never forget it." Can you believe the idiots we have working for our government today?

[Julius Civitatus]

66. My friends used to get the stupidest of questions... in college

Basically ALL of my foreign-student friends in college were extremely frustrated at the unbelievable ignorance of their American peers. They just couldn't believe the stupidest ideas they used to get, usually defined in America-centric terms.

I remember a Japanese fellow ticked off because they used to ask him how long it would take to drive from the US to Japan. A Spaniard was constantly bothered by obnoxious inquiries like "But.. but, you don't look Mexicain! How can you be Spanish?" A Russian guy always got a kick of how a guy asked him once if they "spoke American in his country."

And the sad part, these were college students.

So, no, I'm not surprised one bit at the deep ignorance of the average Joe. What surprises me is the degree by which most Americans seem to indulge in their own ignorance and wear it on their lapel like a badge of honor.

[NYC Liberal]

62. Does the kid know how we ORIGINALLY used to do it?

Kid should put THAT in his pipe and smoke it.

[trudyco]

63. Wake up Folks! Its another hit on the freedom of speech!

It seems like there has been a concerted effort to psychologically beat people up who want to use their right to freedom of speech.

First there was Churchill, then the guy from Harvard, then the students and the red star in CA, the Sponge Bob business... I keep hearing about 1 a week or so. Testing us. Trying to see how far they can cower us. Trying to define a really warped idea of patriotism. The neocons are particularly interested in teens - they are the most likely to cause an uprising, especially if there is a draft.

I've seen 2 cards being played:
1)They are claiming that liberal views are suppressing them of their neocon views, making them feel "uncomfortable". They are twisting freedom of speech, debate, discussing various ideas into somehow this is "liberal" and creating a hostile environment for their conservative views. I mean, who wants to be accused of creating a hostile environment for their students?

2)In this take they are trying to say that freedom of speech in public schools, respect for others in the world and their language, is somehow being unpatriotic. So if you are a real patriot you are basically a xenophobe. More importantly, you don't speak out or you risk offending somebody. Who wants to be accused of being unpatriotic? Of offending their students?

Psychological suppression. Trying to define what can and can't be said - especially in high schools and colleges.

They've pulled the card of trying to define what is patriotic in the past and gotten away with it. I think they are losing steam. A lot fewer people are going to buy this this time around. Protesting foreign languages for a week is a real stretch.

Which worries me. What crisis will they create to whip up patriotism again? OK. I'm wearing my tinfoil curls again.

[Dave Reynolds]

67. Why is a complaint

from a 15-year-old about something so fucking stupid making news?

Not to belittle 15-year-old kids, but :wtf:

[Julius Civitatus]

70. Because anything a RIGHT-WING 15-year-old says matters a lot

See, how many Liberal 15-year-olds have you seen writing for newspapers and major news organizations?

(sounds of crickets in the background)

None. Zilch. Zero.

On the other hand, how many 15-year-olds have you seen writing for newspapers, major news organizations, and right-wing think-tanks?

Quite a few, including Virgin Ben, Rudy Takala, and many others.

See, when you write the right way (wink wink, nudge nudge) all sorts of doors open for you in this country.

If you stick to left-of-center principles you may be lucky if your shit gets picked up by a local rag in the "letters to the editor" section.

The so-called "liberal media," you know...

[sakabatou]

75. If I don' un'stand i', I' ain' wath i'.

[deadparrot]

76. Can't speak nut'n but Murkin.

Nobody better be r'citin stuff we don't git. This is MURKA! We speak MURKIN!

Heh. The brat's got a right to do what he wants, though. He's an ignorant little shit who doesn't realize that in almost every other industrialized country, students are required to be fluent in 2+ languages.

I wonder if these folks would be as sensitive to a country's dominant language if they (god forbid) went on vacation outside the US and were suddenly faced with people who didn't speak a word of English.

[Vladimir]

77. His punishment should be

Russian lessons until he is fluent in it...

[NNadir]

79. He's clearly too dumb for that.

Why waste resources trying to educate a twit like this?

[NNadir]

78. Languages that "no one speaks?"

They really ought to let this stupid git drop out and work at a filling station. It will raise their test scores.

[Menshevik]

80. ugh this kid is an idiot

I would be interested to hear the pledge in Russian...

[Lisa]

81. I wonder if he refuses to accept money with "e pluribus unum" on it ...

The Treasury Department, for example, seems to use a lot of Latin -- as do many military units!

United States Army Special Forces: De opresso liber ("To liberate the oppressed")

United States Marine Corps: Semper fidelis


And so on.

[Lorien]

84. Lol!

Good point! :thumbsup:

[dddem]

82. I'm curious.

I wonder if our junior patriot knows all the words to our national anthem? It amazes me how many folks don't even know what they are singing at the baseball game. But they're sure experts on how everyone else should behave.

[Lorien]

83. "in a different language which nobody understands.."

No, just undereducated gits like you don't understand a word of other languages. Geez- I guess he thinks that America was an empty country founded by Englishmen? It's VERY appropriate to read the pledge in other languages; it reminds us of our immigrant past.

[JohnLocke]

86. ¿Cómo se dice "asshole" en español? (nt)

[donco6]

91. "Pat-rick Lin-ton" eom

[VegasWolf]

87. Fuk the teen! I throw away entire phrases like "under god" when I

repeat the pledge of stupidity.

[Amfortas]

88. The sad thing is that he's.....

probably reflecting the attitudes of his parents .... shame.

[dsc]

92. I do find it interesting the completely different reactions

to this person and the one whose confrontation with the teacher was caught on the cell phone. Do teens only have the right to challenge authority if they agree with us now?

[Solon]

94. So far in this thread...

People have slammed him for being an ignorant little twit, not much more than that besides wishful punishments like learning Russian. No one on this thread however has advocated that he should be denied the right to protest the way he did. We can slam stupidity, especially when blatantly obvious as it is in this case.

[rucky]

93. He's almost old enough to enlist! n/t

[drdtroit]

102. Ignorance am a bitch, amn't it?

:-)

[chickenscratching]

103. boy oh boy!

"Linton was absent from school on Monday. At the end of his class Tuesday, the announcements came over the loudspeaker as usual, he said. But the Pledge was recited in another language - French, he later found out."

he later found out? reminds me of a time these two fellow employees were speaking german to one another and this guy looks over and says: "whats that? spanish?"

what a laugh.