I'm pledging to delete 31 state senators from my Christmas card list

Politicians want to force Michigan’s schoolkids to recite the Pledge of Allegiance each morning.

The bill passed by the Michigan Senate yesterday also requires that a flag be displayed in each K-12 public school classroom in the state – although no funding to buy the flags is provided, of course. It was sponsored by Roger Kahn (R-Saginaw) and supported by the American Legion.

The legislation states, “The Board of a School District or intermediate school district or board of directors of a public school academy shall ensure that each pupil in each public school it operates is required to recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States each school day.”

“Michigan is one of only seven states that do not require children in their public schools to recite the Pledge,” Kahn said. “I wholeheartedly and passionately believe in the importance and value of reciting the Pledge.”

According to Raw Story, Christian Socialist Francis Bellamy wrote the Pledge in 1892 as a part of a campaign to sell flags to schools. (The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954 because President Dwight Eisenhower perceived a threat from secular Communism.) The Supreme Court ruled in 1943 that forcing students to recite the pledge was unconstitutional unless parents could have the final say on whether their child participates, so SB 637 provides that “a student could not be compelled to recite the Pledge against the pupil's or parent's objections.”

Tom McMillin

Senate Bill 637 was passed on a 31-5 vote and sent to the House of Representatives, where it was referred to the House Education Committee, chaired by Tom McMillin (R-Rochester Hills). McMillin was just appointed interim chair, replacing just-recalled State Representative Paul Scott (R-Grand Blanc).

Let’s use this opportunity to take a look at Tom McMillin, shall we?

• He’s pro-life, supports a part-time legislature, and made news back in March for nervously and evasively denying that he was a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) – the creepy pro-free markets, pro-limited government, pro-federalism group representing corporate American’s political arm – at a meeting with constituents. (McMillin has allegedly sponsored several ALEC-based bills.)

• He believes “Obamacare” should be repealed and “Michigan voters should have a say at the ballot box about this unprecedented federal power grab.”

• His campaign website features photos of him posing with rotund Oakland County Executive Brooks Patterson, the county’s former prosecuting attorney and a longtime member of the GOP establishment. Patterson – who served as prosecuting attorney for 16 years and earned a reputation as a brash, quotable conservative – fought school integration in the 1970s, helped abolish Michigan’s Single Business Tax in 2006 and thinks unchecked urban sprawl is positive economic development.

• He’s a leader in the “marriage should be between one man and one woman” movement who led a successful effort in Oakland County to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot banning same sex marriage.

• He’s known for his extreme anti-teacher, anti-public employee views. He believes we should “stop ‘Cadillac’ benefit plans for public employees and bring them in line with our state's hard- working private sector employees.”

Gee, I wonder if Senate Bill 637 has a chance under this guy.

Today is Veterans Day, the national holiday set aside to commemorate those who serve or served the United States as members of the military. What better day to object to forcing our children to regurgitate meaningless platitudes every morning than today, when we honor those who fought for our freedom and right as Americans to think, say and do whatever we want?

Sources: Michigan Radio, taxpayersfortom.com, Raw Story, Michigan Legislature.