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coming out of nursery school

those nuns hardened me

hateful creatures-

first grade was just across the street

so the war was on my mind

when my class mates

all raised their hands

and started screeching like fucking pod people

i stepped forward

and said no

parents became involved

even then i had a sense

they were easily manipulated

so after meetings

the war was returned to me

"just do it"

uhhh, no

still no

they had to pretend

not to hear the horrific things

i swore in my oaths

and i had to make

rhythmic sounds

while i plotted against the forces of evil

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well, that was fucking awesome!

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I too had an issue with saying the pledge of allegiance but it was because I wasn’t American. I am Canadian, I didn’t want to become American, a choice I made early in life even though I had lived in the USA most of my life. I was 3 when we left Canada. Although I wish you had had someone to help you understand your feelings so you could’ve handled it differently. My dad told me, and I never forgot it, that the point of school is to learn how to learn. When you learned that you can do about anything you want to.

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That’s such a beautiful point Mom. To learn how to learn. I love that.

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I was just the opposite. I loved the words. I meant them with my whole entire heart. I still do. However, when I was speaking those words, I was thinking about the Republic for which it stands. I was thinking about my grandad and his Navy stories, about my ancestors and all they did and all they went through to give us a better life. The difference is probably that I was in school in the 80's and 90's and it was a different time. Kids were different. Life was different. It's really sad, but there was a pre-2001 America that has no resemblance to post 2001. Where I do agree with you is the overall point. I never realized how much brainwashing goes on in schools. It just never crossed my mind. I am a firm believer at this point of shopping around for specific schools or homeschooling or being very, very involved daily with your child's lessons. The educational system is completely broken and I think it's by design.

I enjoyed hearing another perspective. Thank you.

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Jordan, I agree with you. School should be for educating and encouraging people to think, and not just indoctrinate them.

Right now, I feel like the western world is trying to convince us that Israel's genocide in Gaza is acceptable. That should be a wake up call for everyone.

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Yes Diana, I watched a debate with Cenk from the Young Turks, who I didn't care for until this recent Israel conflict, he was debating that SON OF HAMAS guy, and that psycho is the worst but he says the quiet part out loud, they want us to believe that Palestine NEVER existed! Dude, even the founder of the zionist movement didn't believe that shit but it's what they want and where they are heading.

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Whoa! Unreal that she says Palestine never existed. That's a new one for me. Thanks for letting me know, Jordan.

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If I had people in my life telling me stories about their time in the military I'd have probably had a different view. The stories I was being told were kinda the opposite. Both of my parents went to prison when I was 5 and I was told by someone, I don't remember who but I remember thinking the government took my parents away and I think that added to my very early-paranoia, for lack of a better word-but looking into it, it seems like a ploy that started long ago. However, everything is in perspective, you had a reaĺly good reason to see it differently. We need to raise our kids strong enough to avoid the propagandizing as you were.

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