Preemptive Appeasement

A proactive elementary principal of the Portland school district in Oregon has sprung into action to prevent any further offense and humiliation to be suffered by Muslims over the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. How? She yanked it from an end of year school program.

So, what is the problem, aside from appeasing Muslim political bodies that want to reform the American culture into one that is decidedly less American? Well, for one thing, the principal has cooked up this offense after a consultation with her crystal ball, for no Muslims have ever come forward with any complaint of being offended over the Pledge at this school. Ever.

Secondly, the advocate educator has helped to teach a generation of her school's pupils that patriotic America is offensive, and therefore patriotic gestures such as the pledge (and presumably American flag pins) should be slowly erased from America's consciousness.

Finally, despite all her best intentions of not offending anyone, her substitution of the pledge with a song based on the preamble to the Constitution did offend at least one non-Muslim parent.

"I was sad," said parent Briana Reese. "The flag was sitting up there, you know. Two of the kids went up and they said 'Everybody rise,' and we rose, and I thought for just a second 'Oh yeah, we're going to put our hands on our hearts and we're going to salute the flag' - but no."

Reese had heard that the principal planned to take the pledge out of the ceremony.

"I think that's what they should be doing - telling kids you should be pledging your allegiance to this country," Reese said. "This is a great country. You're here for a reason."

I wonder if this woman's offense, being a non-Muslim, will be as important to the principal as all of the potential Muslim offenses that have yet to occur. I doubt it.

A hat tip to Planck's Constant where he writes:

Oregon's southwest Portland elementary school officials, without a single Muslim complaint, in order to prevent the smidgin of likelihood, a sliver of chance, a particle of possibility that some Muslim might perhaps potentially be slightly offended decided to exclude the Pledge of Allegiance from an elementary school's ceremony.

This is America and many willing Americans are too eager to subjugate themselves to the will of Islam. Here is a newsflash to a certain educator in Oregon; there is no right not to be offended in this country, regardless of how badly you wish to keep Muslims from suffering that particular indignation.

Why this is so would be a much better lesson to be teaching in your school.