Con:

BY PAMELA KALIDASAN Features Editor

As early as 1943, the Supreme Court ruled in West Virgina Board of Education vs. Barnette that students being compelled to stand up to salute the flag undermines their First Amendment right.

And since then, there have been debates about whether students should be required to stand, cross their hearts and swear, with people thinking that students who aren’t are unpatriotic and reckless. But that could be further from the truth.

According to U.S. History.org, the Pledge of Allegiance came from

Allegiance.

While players are allowed to have their beliefs, kneeling instead of standing is a sign of disrespect.

In Here is a Breakdown of Laws in the 47 States that require reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, a teacher in Texas agreed to pay a $90,000 settlement after he was sued by a student on First Amendment grounds for making his class write out the Pledge of Allegiance or risk getting a failing grade.

In California, the Pledge of Allegiance is required to be recited, but oversight is left depending on the school districts.

Representing America: Why Students Should Stand for the Pledge of Allegiance explains why it is important for military personnel to stand for the flag along with knowing how to honor it.

The military is one of the most important protectors of the American flag, as they were responsible for how Americans got their freedom. So it is crucial for them to treat the flag with the utmost respect it deserves and salute it, along with knowing how to honor it. If they don’t do so, then they are to face severe repercussions.

So I ask all of you this one question: Would you rather be standing and saluting the flag?

Or would you rather take a knee and face consequences for it?

Why We Should Stand for the Flag lists four reasons why we should stand for the flag, but there is one reason that stands out to me as an American citizen.

And that reason is “To show that we are still united as a country”.

Over the past couple of months, citizens have shown that they are in danger of being divided because they have reservations about other topics such as abortion, what religion should couples raise their kids in, etcetera.

But standing for the flag should not be one reservation