What is the deal?

I have noticed that patriotism seems to be something that our obsession with the politically correct has deemed undesirable. I'm not really sure at what point it happened, but it seems to be a lingering effect of the sixties. I didn't live through it, but it seems like what hippies might describe as flashbacks from a bad trip. I mean, seriously, there was a time when it was okay to love your country, when people at home supported their troops instead of protesting. There was a time when you said the pledge of allegiance in class without worrying that the phrase "One nation under God" might offend someone. So what happened? It's not as though there is nobody alive who remembers these times, my grandparents do. I have to wonder if we aren't trying a little too hard to please people.

Recently there has been an outstanding young man who attends Arlington High School in Massachusetts that has been trying to reverse this trend, seemingly single handedly. I first read about his efforts in an article from FOXNews.com on June 29th, which talked about his successful efforts to put American flags back in the classrooms of his high school. He has also been trying to convince administrators to have students recite the Pledge of Allegiance in the classroom, which has met with a little more resistance. The reason? Administrators fear that some may object to saying the phrase "One nation under God" because of their religious beliefs, or lack thereof. So, the administration has offered a solution, to recite the pledge before school in the foyer. The thing I don't understand, is if this young man was asking that the pledge be recited on a voluntary basis, where is the conflict? Nobody is being forced to say the phrase, and if someone has such a big problem with hearing the word "God" they need more help than a school can give them. I have a lot of respect for this kid, who seems to be singlehandedly fighting to restore patriotism in his school. I hope that more people can follow his example, and help those of us who love this country, it's flag, it's troops, and it's Constitution, to spread that love to others.

FOXNews.com articles referenced:

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/06/29/ma-school-officials-wont-let-students-recite-pledge-allegiance/

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2010/06/29/mass-flag-pledge-resolution/