Editor’s note: As with all Opinion stories in The Eagle’s Cry, the views in this story are those of the writer, and do not represent the views of BHS teachers, administrators, or The Eagle’s Cry staff.

“Black Lives Matter. All Cops Are Bad. Antifa.” 

“Pro-military. Pro-life. Pro-president.” 

We may be a particularly divided nation at the moment. But, no matter what you believe, we all stand under the same flag. The American flag. With all of the problematic division and destruction going on in our country, as an American you still have to respect our flag…for what it represents.

WHAT OUR FLAG REPRESENTS:

Our ideals–equality, freedom, and justice for all.

Those who have died for these ideals.

As divided as we all are, we are still one country, one united people. This is why we should respect something as simple and pure as our Pledge of Allegiance. 

Students here in Bethpage High School seem to be questioning, figuring out where they stand in the great divide.  According to eyewitnesses, some BHS students have been sitting during our nation’s pledge of allegiance. Many seem ignorant of what the words “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” really means. 

As disrespectful as it is, some people do not see a problem with sitting. Let me be clear: one of the freedoms mentioned in “what our flag represents” above is the freedom to sit during the pledge.  But that doesn’t mean you SHOULD sit, just because you CAN. 

Those who sit for the pledge seem to line up with those who believe they are changing the course of history through civil unrest, protesting false pretenses such as “systematic racism.” Those who sit for the pledge make themselves look like fools in front of the entire school, just like the multi-millionaire athletes who beclown themselves in front of millions upon millions each weekend. That being said, everyone has their own views on our country and the current times, and I have to respect that. But I don’t have to agree with it.

Anonymous BHS interviews with pledge-and-flag-loving students reveal that what they see is disgusting and disrespectful. 

“It is a shame that people are taking their freedoms and privilege to live in the United States for granted” said a source from Bethpage Senior High School. 

It’s a bit ironic that the flag and the ideals it stands for guarantee freedom of speech, yet some express these freedoms by disrespecting it. It is a form of abusing your own rights as an American. The decision to sit seems unpopular in right-leaning Bethpage High School.

With every opinion or view, there is always another side. I thought a number of interviews might reveal the other side for me, and for my readers.

From conversations with more left-leaning students and teachers, I found there is reasoning and purpose behind expressions of their freedom of speech. It doesn’t seem as vulgar as it first seemed. Some sit as silent protest for “blatant discrimination that occurs within our country,” as one BHS student said; they also said that there is no “liberty and justice for all.” Perhaps sitting for the pledge is done in hopes that they might “educate the people on their views and to look at different political and civil stances.”

This is also using their First Amendment rights to show their positions on present-day America. With all of the craziness going on in today’s society, they hope to “spark a change within” to show Americans of all race, color, religion and background that we are all truly equal….that we have to be brothers and sisters.

BHS teacher Ms. Way said, “When someone engages in an action, we may not like it, but we can’t criticize a person for doing what their conscience tells them to do–especially if the action is legal and upheld by the very document that is the foundation for our freedom (our Constitution).  The pledge itself says, “with liberty and justice for all”–it seems a little hypocritical to require someone to stand for a pledge that basically says that they have the freedom not to.”

The dilemma in today’s America is clear. To most, standing and saluting the flag is a part of a daily routine. To others, it is exercising their first amendment rights.

No matter which option you choose, there is common ground to be found for Republicans, Democrats, Independents, etc. We live in a great country. That the American people can exercise their First Amendment right to freedom of speech is proof of the enduring strength of America. 

Correct or incorrect, offensive or not offensive, believing or not believing….we are all one. We all live under the same American Flag. Without that flag, we would not be able to express ourselves or protest, so while you’re here, respect and love it.