Quote :

Four small words. One big backlash.

A few teen girls at South Portland High School in Maine are facing harsh criticism for giving their fellow students the option to abstain from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

Senior Class President Lily SanGiovanni started adding the words "if you'd like to" when asking her peers to join her in promising their loyalty to the nation, according to local media.

SanGiovanni, Senior Class Vice President Morrigan Turner, and their friend Gaby Ferrell say they started to think seriously about the topic after some teachers made students feel uncomfortable for not conforming, the Bangor Daily News reported.

They discovered that state law requires schools to allow every student to have the opportunity to recite the Pledge of Allegiance but “may not require a student to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.”

"We are not doing this because we hate America or anything. We are really doing this because we understand there are people who choose to say the pledge and it means a lot to them and for others it doesn't," SanGiovanni told WCSH.

The young women want people to be free to think about what the pledge means to them and decide for themselves whether they want to participate.

Not everyone agrees.

Critics reportedly derided the girls on social media and sent emails to the school questioning the phrase’s inclusion in the morning announcements.

"There were some people saying we should go to Syria or Russia or Afghanistan and that will change us. It’s really hard to hear that coming from your community," Turner told the local paper.

Principal Ryan Caron told the NBC affiliate that he asked SanGiovanni to stop saying, "if you'd like to," because of school procedure, not outside pressure.

The girls, he said, would need to present their plan to say those words before the school board for approval.

"The fact that I was asked to take away the 'If you would like to,'" SanGiovanni said, "I felt like they were asking me to take away the law."

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What are your thoughts on this?
Should people be able to choose if they say the pledge?
Should they be forced to stop saying "If you'd like to" before leading the pledge?
What are your thoughts on the backlash?

I think the words "if you like to " are not necessary. If I want to say it I will or if I don't, I won't. It's not up to the girls to make a statement beforehand. People should think for themselves, not told to think about.

I believe in the right to be able to say the pledge or to not say it---I'm also old enough to remember when there was a greater respect for this country and it was an honor and something said with pride.

Yes, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] ! It seems that there is a lack of patriotism in this country. People claim that there are so many people from other nations that are here now, but that is how this country was formed. What has changed? We are all Americans.

I don't believe in forcing anyone to recite something on a daily basis, whether it's for our nation or not. I support the USA, but I don't think I have to recite the pledge to show that.

Although I am very respectful of The Pledge and what it means to me, I also believe that everyone has the right to chose. For me The Pledge is very Patriotic but for others it may not hold the same meaning. I don't think it's right to force someone to recite it, if they don't want to. I holds no value or meaning if you are being forced to do it.

I also agree with the face that "if you'd like to" isn't necessary. I think that purposefully causes more drama with the situation. People are free thinkers and will chose whether or not they want to