Students will say four more words in Texas pledge

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Houston Chronicle

Aug. 2, 2007, 12:01AM
Students will say four more words in Texas pledge

By MELANIE MARKLEY
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

Texas students will have four more words to remember when they head back to class this month and begin reciting the state's pledge of allegiance.

This year's Legislature added the phrase "one state under God" to the pledge, which is part of a required morning ritual in Texas public schools along with the pledge to the U.S. flag and a moment of silence.

State Rep. Debbie Riddle, who sponsored the bill, said it had always bothered her that God was omitted in the state's pledge.

"Personally, I felt like the Texas pledge had a big old hole in it, and it occurred to me, 'You know what? We need to fix that,' " said Riddle, R-Tomball. "Our Texas pledge is perfectly OK like it is with the exception of acknowledging that just as we are one nation under God, we are one state under God as well."





Read more: http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5020241.html

---

Rep. Debbie Riddle

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Words to live by, from Republican Rep. Debbie Riddle:

"Where did this idea come from that everybody deserves free education, free medical care, free whatever? It comes from Moscow, from Russia. It comes straight out of the pit of hell. And it's cleverly disguised as having a tender heart. It's not a tender heart. It's ripping the heart out of this country." -- Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Houston, after a March 5 hearing of the House Border Affairs Committee

http://political.com/analysis-arc/0479.html

[xchrom]

1. oh brother --

:eyes:

[ixion]

2. Deb is a great discredit to the species

and it's people like her, who apparently live in Fairyland, that are the reason we are teetering on the brink, societally speaking.

[Maeve]

10. Lay off the fairies! They would never abide such nonsense

Cloud Cuckcoo-land, maybe...

[ixion]

11. lol... no disrespect to fairies intended

more of an homage to Kurt Vonnegut. :)

[onehandle]

3. ...we are one state under God as well." "Now let's go get some hookers and blow." nt

[IndianaGreen]

4. Praise be to Jay-Zeus!

Rep. Riddle is an example of how the ruling class used religion to keep the working class confused and divided.

[0007]

22. Exactly!!

Gotta keep a sharp eye on those working class types of people, 'eh?

[theHandpuppet]

24. Love that "One Nation Under Surveillance" poster!

Now where can I get a full-sized poster to paste in my front window??????

[0007]

35. Hmmmm.....I don't indeed know. But I'm more than sure

there is someone around that can remake the poster for a window. Try this site.
http://www.mavericklabel.com/product/bumpersticker-landing.html

[Skittles]

5. I really wish people would keep their invisible friend to themselves

and quit trying to inflict their delusions on EVERYONE

[Solly Mack]

6. four words: Fuck that ignorant shit

[Mad_Dem_X]

25. LOL! Exactly.

[Telly Savalas]

101. Fund your fucking schools

[izzie]

7. Gee and I thought it came from our early years in this country

If I recall free education was pushed hard by business so that the people could do the work, plus at one time if you were in a church you had to read because of the Bible and besides that a govt. like ours needs educated people---even in Congress----How did we get Karl Marx's thinking into free education? In health care I think since our tax pays for so much and it and it is so costly it has to be a group thing for all It is almost like the army or roads. It takes big money and groups to do the stuff like that That is our style of living. With this type of thinking by these odd GOP people we will be back to a horse and a cow path to get around. Course these people live in great style on good roads going to good schools and hospitals and do not give it one brain cell how we got to this point.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

17. Thomas Jefferson wanted publically funded school for everyone...

Jefferson developed an elaborate plan for making education available to every citizen, and for providing a complete education through university for talented youths who were unable to afford it. He considered his most important accomplishment, after Author of the Declaration of Independence and the Statute for Religious Freedom, to have been the Father of the University of Virginia.

http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/jeff1370.htm

:)

[izzie]

51. and he was a little dead to have read Engels or Marx.

I wonder if these GOP people that talk like this about education and all have ever heard of the enlightenment and just where our founders got some of their plans. I swear, to tie every thing in to Marx's is just so on I do not know what craZY i GUESS.. Drives me up a wall.

[Vidar]

8. Texas is "under God"? I didn't know God required toilet functions.

Live & learn.

[Algorem]

9. what's this state pledge shit?

[Demeter]

12. The Big Ole Hole Isn't in the Pledge, Texas

But in the braincases.

[lostnotforgotten]

13. Under God? - What God, Whose God?

eom

[ProudDad]

48. This one?

[JVS]

66. There is no God in Texas. He forsook that land and there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth

[Ronnie]

14. Words are cheap.

...

[Felix Mala]

15. How 'bout: "...one state, under God, where marriage is between one man and one woman and

life begins at conception..."

[BigDDem]

16. Her head has "a big old hole in it"

[Hugin]

18. So... When does the education start in the Tx schools?

Sounds like about noon.

[yardwork]

31. Seriously. After they finish praying to everything in sight and proving their allegiance

Then I suppose they have the ritual stonings, the "motivational" speeches, the film strips about the evils of gays and liberals and women libbers and everything else - when do they have time to fit reading riting and rithmatic in there?

[dailykoff]

32. don't forget the military recruitment speeches

and the war rallies.

[sanskritwarrior]

86. You know a military recruiter in a high school in Texas

talked me into joining 14 years ago and here I am with 14 years of military experience, two combat tours, life experiences from living in 4 foreign countries and a Master's Degree........

I think by far my decision to join the military was the best thing I ever did in my life.......But hey bash away......

[dailykoff]

90. At what cost

to the world, the national debt, your fallen comrades, and your own soul? And for whose benefit, except shareholders in Halliburton, Exxon-Mobile and a few other Texas rackets?

[sanskritwarrior]

99. What do you mean at what cost?

I serve the greatest nation on earth and do my part to protect it and its citizens......

I don't really see a downside to serving this country.......

As for my comrades they will always be remembered and my soul is doing ok thank you very much......But I forgot I served in Iraq my only two choices are to be a frazzled freaked out veteran unable to work elsewhere or a cold blooded killer determined to take as many Americans lives as possible when I return :eyes: ......Spare me your sanctimonious bullshit brother......

[lastliberalintexas]

47. You think schools in Texas are actually set to educate students?

The only thing our educational system does these days is provide practice practice practice tests in preparation for the TAKS, then they test the kids, then they review the results, then they re-test the kids who failed while the ones who passed are overlooked, then they have an end of year review on TAKS and its importance for the next year, then the kids are so zombified after all the tests that they skate the rest of that school year in hopes that they don't hear the word TAKS again.

Our teachers and kids have been FUBAR for some time, and after NCLB, it'll likely be coming to your state soon enough. All thanks to ignorant, lazy politicians and administrators and greedy testing companies.

[Ian David]

19. One State Under OKLAHOMA! Duh! n/t

[lonestarnot]

20. Gag a fucking maggot that.

[speedingbullet]

21. One Nation?

If we are all "one nation under God" isn't it already covered? Sounds like they are hedging their bets on the "one nation" part.If Texas had been it's own separate country with a crazy Governor about say 7-8 years ago, would that have been such a bad thing?

[dogfacedboy]

23. There is a State "Pledge of Allegiance"?!?!

Is Texas the only State that has this???

[Judi Lynn]

29. No doubt it IS the only state with its own "State Pledge of Allengiance." It must take FOREVER

each morning for those school kids to do their duty and rattle through TWO ENTIRE PLEDGES before sitting down to study their right-wing spun lessons, from books just like the American history book written by Vice President Cheney's wife, Lynne.





If Ann can ride, so can _George.

[ChazII]

76. Michigan, Ohio, Alabama and the list goes on

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/08/texas-students-.html

[pagandem4justice]

54. There sure is.

I teach in a TX elementary school. The morning begins with the U.S. Pledge, the Texas Pledge ("Honor the Texas flag, I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one and indivisible."...that's how it was anyway), and then a full minute of silence.

All these are *mandated* by the state Leg...school students must say these unless they have an excuse *in writing* from their parents. We are required to enforce the law.

What do *I* do? I explain to the students the law, and the First Amendment, which I believe trumps it. I tell them that the best I can do is to find some type of compromise, unless they want to have their parents write the excuse and/or challenge the law. That compromise is that they stand, and if they have a personal moral, political, or religious objection, they may stand silently. Otherwise, I expect them to say it. I've done this for seven years, in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, and I have never had a problem with students abusing this method of compromise.

It's not what I want -- what is just is for the "requirement" law to be abolished -- but it's the best I can do under the circumstances.

And yes, it does detract from the instructional day...After all that, plus the announcements, we lose 10-15 minutes per day.

[dogfacedboy]

26. Apparently, Rep. Debbie Riddle is a fucking moron. n/t

[boilinmad]

27. The 'big ol' hole'....

...is in your head, bitch......STFU

[PunkPop]

28. Welcome to my nightmare

I'm surrounded by these dumbshits.

[Liberal Lassie]

30. Me too.

God save us from the so called "Christians" in Dallas and the rest of this red state. I am Christian and I can't figure out how she can force a pledge to God in schools and then make the decisions of a self righteous pig. (sorry to all of the four legged pigs}.

[boot@9]

37. Me three...

the Permian Basin is full of these Pharisees and Sagasees.

[keroro gunsou]

57. not to be a history nit but..

it's spelt Sadducees

link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharisee

[Barrett808]

50. Welcome to DU, LL!

:hi:

[dkofos]

33. I feel your pain.

[pagandem4justice]

55. Me too, Punkpop.

There aren't as many down here in the southern part of the Lone Star State, but I sure am sick of their domination of the Leg screwing up everything for those of us who are normal.

[dkofos]

34. I am so glad my kids are out of tx public schools. I'm sure they would

get into trouble for not pledging allegiance to state, country, and especially god.

Riddle is truly insane!!

[cureautismnow]

36. If she keeps getting her way...

These poor kids might soon be pledging allegiance to Bush-boy and the GOP. :puke:

Riddle must be one of the "scary" ones that Babs warned us about.

[dbackjon]

38. Riddle? Is she Voldemort's sister?

Acts like it...

[LeftishBrit]

62. Probably...

'Where did this idea come from that everybody deserves free education, free medical care, free whatever? It comes from Moscow, from Russia. It comes straight out of the pit of hell. And it's cleverly disguised as having a tender heart. It's not a tender heart. It's ripping the heart out of this country." '


The thought that ANYONE in power could have such views in 2007 makes me feel ill. Even Maggie Thatcher paid lip-service to the welfare state. This just sounds so inhuman.

And perhaps if Ms. Voldemort had had more free access to education she might have realized that Russia hasn't been Communist for around 15 years now.

[DrDan]

39. and she gets paid how much?

[Ilsa]

78. Yeah, with all the problems we have in Texas, this is what they

come up with to waste time on.

[DrDan]

93. I hope they can find some time enhancing the pledge of allegiance and

fighting evolution and legislating mandatory flag-lapel pins to look at their crumbling infrastructure and ending this Iraq debacle.

Oh wait - they are R's aren't they - busy returning maturity and ethics to politics.

[kineneb]

40. complete disconnect; free medical care from pit of hell?

hmmm... they want a "christian" state (under 'god'), but don't want to help those in need... didn't read the Bible very well, did they... since Jesus was in essence a socialist, doing for the least of his brethren, etc...

leave brain at church door, pick up crayons...

[RamboLiberal]

41. Who the hell says a pledge to the state?

To this Pennsylvanian that is weird! I don't even know if my state has a pledge - in my near 55 years on earth I never even heard of a pledge to Pennsylvania. Sorry Texas, but that is strange to me.

[underpants]

49. We don't need a moment of silence what we need is a moment of science

oh and math

That was the joke around here when Va. tried to do the pledge thing again. I had no idea that anyone still didn't get how much of a complete waste of time that is....oh well I guess I just am out of the Jesus loop or something

[ohio2007]

71. same thing I was thinking. Is the allegiance to Texas above the US pledge

[sakabatou]

42. ::headdesk::

[TexasLawyer]

43. K&R

Just for the priceless Debbie Riddle quote alone!

[malachi]

44. The only thing coming straight out of the pit of hell is her and

her ilk. I'd call her an ignorant slut, but I don't want to offend ignorant sluts. WTF is in the air down in Texas? State pledge? What a fucking joke.

[xxqqqzme]

45. A state pledge??? AND

the flag pledge AND a moment of silence???? Does any instruction go on in Texass schools?

[They Live]

46. I just sent her an e-mail

Unfortunately I forgot to copy it to post here. Something like:
"Why must you insert your religious belief into our public schools? Which God are you talking about? I have been discriminated against my entire lifetime by people like you. I guess I will continue to fight until the the day that I die. Is my son going to need to bring a note excusing him from saying "GOD" every day, or will once suffice? Will he need to wear the note around his neck like a scarlet letter, or a star which says "Juden"? -Your Unhappy Taxpayer, etc."

[superconnected]

52. What year is this? Where was she educated?

[Megahurtz]

53. As If SHE

didn't get to where she is without being born with a Silver Spoon in her mouth and as a result
she got "Free" Healthcare through her family, and "Free" Education by her family etc. :puke:

I'll believe it when I see it. :eyes:

Does anyone think she got to where she is in life without any "Free" help?

Fucking Holier-Than-Thou Calvinist piece of shit! :grr:

[dailykoff]

56. The Texas State Pledge of Allegiance to Texas:

"Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one and indivisible."

http://www.texaspolicecentral.com/plrdge.html

No wonder those people are all nuts.

[Taverner]

58. Hmmm, I swore that was a graphic of Voldemort from the Potter flick

[high density]

59. One nation under stupid fucks and corporations

Seems to be more like it.

[LibDemAlways]

60. State pledge? How stupid is that?

It isn't enough that children in Texas pledge daily loyalty to their country? They have to pledge fealty to their state as well? And then they have to observe a "moment of silence"? When do they learn anything besides how to be a good little sheeple and blindly obey authority? Scary.

[Ilsa]

63. Well, at least my oldest doesn't have to mess with it in his

special education class. My youngest does, although reciting this shit means nothing to him.

[ChazII]

70. Texas is not the only one, Ohio and Michigan

are among several states that have a pledge.

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/08/texas-students-.html

edited for typos

[LibDemAlways]

72. What an eye-opener. I've never heard that before.

It would never go over in CA since many people came here from elsewhere and don't consider this state "home." My mom grew up in NYC. Even though she's lived in Southern Cal for 46 years, she still considers herself a New Yorker. I think that's typical. State loyalty oaths. Unbelievable.

[ChazII]

73. Link to story,

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2007/08/texas-students-.html

I have never heard of this until today. I will have to ask my pals in Ohio if they ever had to say it when they were growing up.

[Critters2]

75. Some of these don't seem so bad.

I kinda like South Dakota's and Michigan's. But there is something infinitely unsettling about pledging one's life to Alabama.

[dailykoff]

61. I wonder if they'll keep saying it

after Chavez buys our debt from China and forces us to sell Texas back to Mexico for a song.

Maybe in español? :evilgrin:

[JVS]

64. I pledge my emnity to Texas!

[tammywammy]

65. I've lived in Texas my whole life, I've never said the state pledge

We never had to say it in school. We said the US pledge and then there was a moment of silence, and that's it. :shrug: I never even had to learn what the state pledge is as far as I remember.

[last_texas_dem]

68. I never said it, either

and I graduated from high school in '01. I may not have even been aware of its existence until after I graduated from high school. It seems to have returned, for whatever reason, with the rise in "patriotism" after September 11, 2001. When the Repugs took the legislature, they pushed through this time-wasting legislation requiring both the state and national pledges and the "moment of silence" to be said in classrooms.

[pschoeb]

74. self delete

nt

[last_texas_dem]

67. Brilliant

A few more government-mandated seconds taken away from teachers being able to actually educate their students.

[pokercat999]

69. Could we just give Texas back to Mexico? Please.

[Lionel Mandrake]

77. Why stop at the state level?

Let's institute a pledge to "one county under Mammon", followed by another moment of silence, then a pledge to "one city under the Giant Pink Bunny", then yet another moment of silence, then perhaps a pledge to "one school under Big Brother". Every classroom should have several video cameras to identify those students who don't say all these pledges with sufficient enthusiasm.

[Hieronymus]

79. Debbie, you ignorant slut.

[OzarkDem]

80. Does this mean Texas is seceding?

Excellent!

[MadMaddie]

81. I say let them have TX and maybe a couple of other states

and let them have their own Slovenia....They can run their country the way they want which is a dictatorship and the rest of us can get on with the buisness of rebuilding unity, our infrastructure, our educational system and our national security...

Seriously...I would rather have them all in one place so they can choke the life out of each other and leave us the hell alone....

[David__77]

82. Rep. Riddle could pay no bigger compliment to communism.

If that is what communism is, I suspect that the majority of Americans would get down on their knees and beg for communism. Many rightists suspect the same, which is why they have such disdain for democracy.

[tblue37]

83. So will she turn down her taxpayer funded healthcare?

Did her family turn down all their free educational opportunities?

[Zhade]

84. UnFUCKINGconstitutional!

NT!

[ProudDad]

85. Are the four words:

Texas is Fucking Nuts...?

[ronnie624]

87. Debbie Riddle sounds like a nightmarish individual.

There are few things more frightening to me, than a despotic and stultifying theocracy, with people like Rep. Riddle in charge.

How strange that I have spent all of my school years and most of my life in Texas, yet never have I heard of a 'Texas pledge'.

[Lorien]

88. Any relation to Tom Riddle (aka Voldemort) ?

She seems about as thoughtful and selfless.:eyes:

[slowry]

89. Better a hole

than a hole filled with shite.

[WindRavenX]

91. Welcome to America, aka, Dumbfuckistan

:puke:

I can't believe some of the headlines I'm reading lately...this country is in the fucking toilet.

[bitchkitty]

92. It makes me wish I had kids in school in Texas,

so I could sue them.

[Eurobabe]

94. I thought it would be NO MORE GODDAMN BUSHIES

[onager]

95. But it's an old Texas tradition!

"If the English language was good enough for Jesus Christ, it's good enough for me."--Miriam "Ma" Ferguson, Governor of Texas 1924-1928, during debate on a bi-lingual education bill.

[Joe Bacon]

96. I see TEX ASS strkes again.

Just when you think they cannot get any stupider...

[stressfulreality]

97. "and to the REPUBLIC for which it stands - NOT THE GOVERNMENT!! n/t

[redqueen]

98. Ugh!

*sigh*

I just want to leave.

[hatrack]

100. May I present the new official state logo of Texas?

http://jitcrunch.cafepress.com/jitcrunch.aspx?bG9hZD1ibGFuayxibGFuazo1M19GLmpwZ3xyZWN0YW5nbGU9YmxhbmssODYsMjIsMzEyLDQ0MCwtODM1NTcxMixTb2xpZCwxfHJlY3RhbmdsZT1ibGFuayw4NiwyMiwzMTEsNDM5LC0xLFNvbGlkLDF8cmVjdGFuZ2xlPWJsYW5rLDg0LDIwLDMxMiw0NDAsLTE2Nzc3MjE2LFNvbGlkLDF8bG9hZD1MMCxodHRwOi8vaW1hZ2VzLmNhZmVwcmVzcy5jb20vaW1hZ2UvMTI5MDA4N180MDB4NDAwLmpwZ3x8c2NhbGU9TDAsMjY4LDM5NixXaGl0ZXxjb21wb3NlPWJsYW5rLEwwLEFkZCwxMDYsNDJ8Y3A9cmVzdWx0LGJsYW5rfHNjYWxlPXJlc3VsdCwwLDQ4MCxXaGl0ZXxjb21wcmVzc2lvbj05NXw=

[sanskritwarrior]

102. LMAO

:rofl: