Kid Suspended For Not Standing During Pledge

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“I’m really tired of our government taking advantage of us,” said Michalec. “I don’t agree with the NSA spying on us.”

May 12, 2014

A high school student was suspended for not standing during the Pledge of Allegiance.

Fifteen-year-old Needville High School student Mason Michalec says he had to serve a two-day in-school suspension for refusing to stand for the Pledge. He did it because he is “really tired of our government taking advantage of us.”

“I basically said it from the time I was in kindergarten to earlier this year and that’s when I finally decided I was done saying it.”

What this kid is doing is incredibly heartening. To break free from the decade of indoctrination that he’s had and stand up for what’s right, is incredible!

He is prepared to face even more suspension to get his point across.

Of course the majority in Needville, TX disagree with what Mason Michalec is doing and are quite predictably voicing their offense for such “horrid behavior.”

According to KHOU,

Most folks around town Thursday had just one reaction to Mason sitting it out.

 

“Oh that’s wrong,” said Needville resident Peggy Janczak.

 

The pledge brings up strong and powerful associations.

 

“I think he’s being disrespectful to the flag, and those folks who gave their lives for him to have his opinion,” said Needville resident David McDonald.

 

Another neighbor, Jimmie Pekar added, “If you live in the United States, the greatest country in the world, you should support the United States.”

 

“The soldiers are out there, they’re doing their job and he should stand up,” said neighbor Jo Castillo.

Unfortunately the majority of people in this country are so blinded by this false sense of nationalism, that they have no idea what is right and what is wrong; its only wrong if the other ‘party’ is doing it.

In a time where police are harassing, beating, and even killing innocent people left and right, this kid stands as a beacon of hope for humanity as many kids his age are more interested in Miley Cyrus than the encroaching police state.

Michalec is a true hero, he is standing against the collective, despite facing ridicule, to illustrate the ills of society.

Mark Twain’s quote from his personal Notebook, is quite relevant to this story:

In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot.

Michalec is the brave one, the rest are timid. 

Of course Twain was not advocating for the support of a government in his writings. He used the word patriot early on as a positive term, and later became quite outspoken about what he thought defined patriotism.

Man is the only Patriot. He sets himself apart in his own country, under his own flag, and sneers at the other nations, and keeps multitudinous uniformed assassins on hand at heavy expense to grab slices of other people’s countries, and keep them from grabbing slices of his. And in the intervals between campaigns he washes the blood of his hands and works for “the universal brotherhood of man”- with his mouth.

 

-Mark Twain, The Lowest Animal