In a recent social media post, the president of the Burrillville Town Council, Don Fox, targeted a member of the community who attended a town council meeting for not reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. “I find it despicable, and it shows what he thinks about our nation,” said Mr.Fox, and he then went on to speculate reasons he believed this person refrained from participating. Ironically, he said this while encouraging more people to attend town council meetings.
The Pledge of Allegiance has always been controversial in that some people interpret it as a statement for – or against – our country. As a middle school civics teacher for 30 years, I have taught my students that speaking out about government actions is a vital freedom in our society. They understand that it is their right to participate or refrain from participating in the Pledge each morning. And they most definitely know it is not a litmus test for patriotism to be weaponized in order to attack citizens with whom they do not agree. When a representative of the town government attacks freedom of speech, it threatens the freedom of us all.
We would be much better off having conversations, finding our similarities, and using them to bridge our differences than using the Pledge of Allegiance as a tool to attack those with whom we disagree. That’s real leadership.
Bruce Powers
Harrisville
