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“Liberty and justice for all” — One boy takes it seriously
November 18th, 2009I got an e-mail today from a man named Chris who wanted to tell me about something happening in the little town of West Fork, Ark., where a 10-year-old boy named Will Phillips is refusing to stand up in school and say the Pledge of Allegiance until the time comes when he can truly believe that the U.S.A. really does offer “liberty and justice for all.”
In the video clip below of a CNN interview with fifth-grader Will Phillips and his father Jay, Will explains: “I was analyzing the meanings of it [the pledge of allegiance] because I want to be a lawyer. … There really isn’t liberty and justice for all. Gays and lesbians can’t marry, and there is still a lot of racism and sexism in the world.”
For four days Will refused to stand up and say the pledge. And for four days the substitute teacher tried to insist that he do so, even though he told her it was his First Amendment right to refuse. On the fourth day, Will said, “Very solemnly, but with a little bit of malice in my voice, I told her, ‘Ma’am, with all due respect, you can go jump off a bridge.’”
Will got sent to the principal’s office for that remark, and has since had to face the taunts of his classmates who, he said, often call him a “gay wad.” But he’s not backing down.
What’s it going to take to get Will to start saying the Pledge of Allegiance again? Very simply: Liberty and Justice for all, and that includes the right for same-sex couples to marry. “They should have the right to marry, and I won’t swear that they do,” Will said.
The reason Chris sent this to me because Will is the son of one of his best friends from high school. Here’s what Chris said: “I wanted to share this story with you for the sole reason that this 10 year old boy is probably more courageous than I will ever be. … This young man, every time I see him, always has something brilliant to say … . Just to give you a little back story, I also grew up in and attended school in West Fork Arkansas(population 1200) and I also had the same substitute teacher in question as my own 5 grade science teacher. I was open about my sexuality in high school, and unfortunately it did not make things very easy for me. So this young man being as courageous as he is, and knowing him as I do, he receives my everlasting gratitude and respect for his actions and ideas.”
Here’s the video, so you can hear Will tell the story in his own words:
Tags: Arkansas, gay rights, Pledge of Allegiance, Protest, same-sex marriage, West Fork, Will Phillips
November 18th, 2009 at 11:40 am
Great story! Thanks for posting.
November 18th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
yeah he is an awesome kid…seems extremely bright…never underestimate the opinions and knowledge of kids…they know more than we think
November 18th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
This young man is very intelligent. It is sad that he isn’t properly informed to the truth, as to what a marriage is – and that it is and always will be between a man and a woman. Gays should have equal “rights” under a different path, but not as married people, as that is perfectly possible as a heterosexual couple only. Redefinition is what this young man seeks, and you cannot redefine a historically concrete concept just to provide equal rights, when the rights can be preserved in other ways. This would be like redefining what killing is, just to satisfy and provide to those interested in killing people the right to kill.
Additionally, his remarks to the teacher were extremely disrespectful, and with his intelliigence level, he should know that and acknowledge that. He only makes himself look childish – and after all, that’s what he is, a child in formation.
November 18th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Great story and a great kid! I still say the pledge but without the “under God” part that was tacked on in the 50’s to prove we weren’t Communists. Might have to reconsider saying it at all now.
And Ann: Concepts are redefined all the time. Marriage is a social convention not some immutable stone engraved absolute.
November 18th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
@Ann
I desperately hope that you don’t have children. It seems to me that the kind of children you raise would be: A. Afraid to speak their minds and stand up for what they believe is right. B. Have no knowledge that sometimes adults can be wrong and that sometimes you must challenge their authority.
I am not saying that we need to have a bunch of out of control children running around school but it will become quite obvious when you’re dealing with a child of exceptional intellect and who is able to decipher right from wrong and just from unjust. I think he has parents who encourage him to stand up and speak out even when doing so can break the school’s precious rules. That’s the kinda child I would like to raise. Those are the kinda children who will be prepared for the world. Not the coddled Stepford children you would prefer to inherit this world.
November 18th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
Ann, so you’re saying that rights can be seperate but equal? That argument is as archaic and devoid of logic as when it was used against blacks.
November 18th, 2009 at 5:21 pm
I’ glad this child stood up for what he believed in. I will agree that what he said to the teacher at the end there was wrong. I feel we need to encourage children to stand up for what they believe in. I will pray for you Ann.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:13 pm
Kid’s got balls.
November 18th, 2009 at 11:24 pm
Ann, your drivel may annoy the righteous and comfort the bigot. But it can only fool a fool, and it isn’t fooling that child. Out of the mouths of babes…..
Little Dude. Big Stones.
November 19th, 2009 at 4:36 am
Will,
Your right to not recite the Pledge is enshrined, not just in the First Amendment, but in the Supreme Court ruling West Virginia v. Barnette. I encourage you to cite this ruling in addition to your first amendment rights when you state your right to not stand. You go, Little Dude!
November 22nd, 2009 at 12:53 am
i think it’s ann that needs to go back to school and take a few civics lessons…..possibly a few biology courses and let’s just throw in some psych classes to boot!