Jailed for Not Saying Pledge of Allegiance

This is unbelievable, except I have been in Mississippi and seen the blatant ignorance of civil rights in that state and the backwardness of inbred thinking in all the Southern states, including my present Florida.

Here is the headline:
Miss. judge jails attorney for not reciting pledge

From Associated Press
October 07, 2010

I have searched several sources of the AP story and there were bits left out of some.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/oct/7/mississippi-judge-jails-attorney-pledge-refusal/

But here is the main account:

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi judge jailed a lawyer for several hours for refusing to recite the Pledge of Allegiance, ordering the attorney to "purge himself" of contempt by standing and repeating the oath like the rest of the courtroom....

"Lampley shall purge himself of said criminal contempt by complying with the order of this Court by standing and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in open court," according to the order, (by Chancery Judge Talmadge Littlejohn). ...

Mr. Lampley, 49, previously refused to say the pledge in front of Judge Littlejohn in June. He was asked to leave the courtroom, but returned after the pledge. ...
On Thursday, the judge again asked those in the courtroom to pledge allegiance to the flag.

Some of us are outraged at this abuse of judicial power and I think it is time for this judge to retire. But, it is Mississippi and he has a lot of support for imposing patriotism on a dissenter. (Do they realize that the pledge is to the U.S. Flag and not the Stars & Bars?)

However, as a "card carrying member of the ACLU" for decades, I tend to side with civil liberties:

Bear Atwood, an ACLU attorney in Mississippi, said there was a long established precedent that a person can't be compelled to stand and say the pledge.

"It's simply not permissible to force someone to do that," Atwood said.

Atwood said Lampley could file a complaint with Mississippi Commission on Judicial Performance, but the best way to handle the situation was to "educate the judge on why he shouldn't do it again."

I have been following these news accounts of ppl being punished for not reciting the Pledge of Allegiance because it was one of my civil disobediances in high school. I objected to standing each morning and facing a bare wall with no visible flag and reciting this pledge. Also, as an Atheist, I objected to that "under god" part of the pledge.

This was in St. Louis county in 1962 and I got no official attempts to stop my protests (we did get pictures of the flag in each classroom). Could be my school district kept abreast of the law, for as pointed out in one of the AP stories:

In 1943 the Supreme Court Ruled that children in public schools could not be forced to salute the flag or say the pledge.

This was likely a religious freedom case involving separation of church and state - not out of deference to us Atheists but more likely the Christian Scientists whom I believe do not pledge allegiance to national flags.

Anyhow, I hope there is follow-up to this case as I would like to hear that this judge who abused his authority and violated a person's civil right not to pledge allegiance against his will is removed or forced to retire from the bench.

 

That's utterly ridiculous. That judge isn't acting on the basis of law, he's acting on the basis of "courtoom procedure", which he himself sets in his own courtroom.

When I was in high school, a girl from England attended our school for one year. During the POA each morning (which was required), she stood respectfully but naturally refused to pledge her "allegiance" to the flag of a nation which was not her own.

The parents and faculty raised an unbelievable commotion over it (we students had no problem at all). They even threatened to refuse to allow her to attend the school. Eventually they backed down, but you can just imagine how they would have reacted if they were required to pledge to the British or any other flag.

 

and if you dislike where you live, by all means. quit whining already and go live elsewhere. granny is right,it's the judge's courtroom,not yours,mine or anyone else's.

 

an Allegheny County judge Murdered my brother and got away with it..She sent some goons to get him, while trying to get him there was an accident.. and he was killed, they claim they got there 10minutes later which is a lie, dispatch shows officers on scene within seconds..
The judges mother also mysteriously died before (my case actually my bothers case) came before this dishonorable judge..

they will not answer my inquiries to: did you do it, Or did you not do it?.
All charges against me were later dropped..

There has been no closure..

 

hey Elijah... hope you ain't saying what i think you saying!!!

and orison.... that's dark man.... so sorry to hear that! XXX

 

i'm not beating around the bush lilly. if shale dislikes the south that much? why does he live there?andif he holds no allegiance to this nation, why not just go live overseas?

 

well i didn't think you were saying that... i thought you were saying that in your book, what the judge did was ok... i'd call it an abuse of power a waste of time and of taxpayers money... some judges.... wtf????

 

I'm a U.S. citizen. I was born here and I'm pretty much stuck here. You can't just go "live overseas."

As for living in the South, I like the warm weather. Not particularly in love with the backward, religious mindset of Florida, but I love the beach part and the warm weather where I live in Miami Beach.

And back to that citizen thing, I have a right to live anywhere in the U.S. that I like, and a right to have my secular humanism, homosexuality, interracial love, and the many other things that do not follow the mainstream herd mentality of this culture respected.

Meaning, I have a right not to be forced to acknowledge a "god" that goes against my beliefs, especially in a court of law which represents the government. It is in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

The judge clearly overstepped his bounds by forcing a man to recite a pledge that violated his first amendment right to free speech. I think (hope) there will be more on this in future. The judge should be censured for his abuse of position - if not removed. That would likely happen in any jurisdiction outside of the Deep South. But, it is a lawyer who may not press it if he wants to keep practicing in that benighted culture.

BTW, I do not pledge allegiance to the flag mainly because it refers to "under god" which is not my belief. But, I have done my duty for my country on many levels, including my service with the United States Air Force from 1963-1967. So, do not chastise me for having no allegiance to this nation.

 

Well, I'm certainly never saying it again

 

Ive felt Ive lived on the set of Law and Order, or some kinda crime show.. This cant be happening but it did..


the only thing missing is the interview with Keith Morrison.

 

I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the principles for which it stands. Differing states and peoples, comprising one nation united, indivisible, with equality, justice and liberty for all mankind.

That is how I would rewrite it if I had the power to do such.
What do you guys think of my version?

 

A bit of history;

The Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was written in August 1892 by the socialist minister Francis Bellamy (1855-1931). It was originally published in The Youth's Companion on September 8, 1892. Bellamy had hoped that the pledge would be used by citizens in any country.

In its original form it read:

"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
In 1923, the words, "the Flag of the United States of America" were added. At this time it read:

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
In 1954, in response to the Communist threat of the times, President Eisenhower encouraged Congress to add the words "under God," creating the 31-word pledge we say today. Bellamy's daughter objected to this alteration. Today it reads:

"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."
Section 4 of the Flag Code states:

The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag: "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.", should be rendered by standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. When not in uniform men should remove any non-religious headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Persons in uniform should remain silent, face the flag, and render the military salute."
The original Bellamy salute, first described in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, who authored the original Pledge, began with a military salute, and after reciting the words "to the flag," the arm was extended toward the flag.

At a signal from the Principal the pupils, in ordered ranks, hands to the side, face the Flag. Another signal is given; every pupil gives the flag the military salute — right hand lifted, palm downward, to a line with the forehead and close to it. Standing thus, all repeat together, slowly, "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands; one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all." At the words, "to my Flag," the right hand is extended gracefully, palm upward, toward the Flag, and remains in this gesture till the end of the affirmation; whereupon all hands immediately drop to the side.

The Youth's Companion, 1892

Shortly thereafter, the pledge was begun with the right hand over the heart, and after reciting "to the Flag," the arm was extended toward the Flag, palm-down.

In World War II, the salute too much resembled the Nazi salute, so it was changed to keep the right hand over the heart throughout

 

flag on my front porch is upside down..

 

As a matter of fact I was right, but you misunderstood my position. I wasn't saying "if you don't like this judge's courtoom procedure, go live in some other country." That's absurd.

I was saying that this judge's actions weren't based on law, they were based on courtroom procedure. Yes, he can jail you for contempt of court, but who decides what is "contempt"? He does.

 

Woo hoo I think he should have been shot right then and there !!!!


In GOD we trust !

 

those things are pretty mainstream now, nothing noncoformist about miscengenation or homosexuality. it's pretty intolerent to expect others to tolerate your rollerskates, borderline nambla tendecies,cut off shorts,boombox and baked potato looking skin.

 

you take two seperate staements i made and put them in the same context. but yes, it is the judge who decides what does and does not fly in his court room.

 

wtf??? Elijah... three words... you shameless hussy!!!

 

The United States should have a bus ready to take folks the fuck out of here if they want to disrespect out county I think those fucking homos would change there fucking mind and if not good riddance.

 

Hardly. You haven't made two coherent statements yet.