At Monday's City Council meeting, Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs saw fit to point out that Councilwoman Rebecca Williams does not recite the Pledge of Allegiance. This happened in the context of Williams asking the mayor, who was making comments from the side, to be quiet while Williams as acting chairman of the whole was reading out the titles of resolutions.
Despite the fact that Williams' personal stance on the Pledge had nothing to do with Williams invoking decorum for the meeting, the mayor's comment caused the councilwoman to come in for criticism from veterans in the audience. Thinking about it later, Plaintalker looked into the subject and found a variety of viewpoints on reciting the Pledge.
Decades ago, the issue came up after some school districts mandated the Pledge of Allegiance as part of opening exercises. Jehovah's Witnesses won a 1943 Supreme Court case defending their right not to pledge for religious reasons. More recently, there were two well-known Plainfield school board members who never recited the Pledge.
Diverse groups such as Quakers and Muslims have reasons not to pledge allegiance to the flag. During the civil rights era, some people declined to pledge in protest, saying there was not yet "liberty and justice for all."
Interestingly, the U.S. Army's guidelines on saluting the flag call for soldiers to remain silent while in uniform, but to recite the pledge when in civilian attire.
There are many other informal takes on aspects of the Pledge of Allegiance, ranging from the radical views one might hear on radio station WBAI at times to Plainfield's own George Clinton's "One Nation Under a Groove."
The mayor's barb at Williams, in response to a request for her to be quiet, fell into a category of transactions known as "kitchen-sinking," in which a person tosses in a totally unrelated charge to score points in a dispute. As I recall, this gambit was identified by psychiatrist Eric Berne in his book on Transactional Analysis, "Games People Play." The mayor employed a similar tactic during the WBLS investigation when she gratuitously offered the allegation that former City Administrator Bibi Taylor liked to be called a certain epithet. (See post here.)
With all the city's problems, it is too bad a meeting has to be disrupted by such behavior. Enmity on camera perpetuates the notion that Plainfield is dysfunctional, as resident Dottie Gutenkauf pointed out. Let's hope a better tone will prevail in future meetings.
--Bernice
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I had 3 Jehovah Witness students in my grade growing up.
ReplyDeleteWe, the rest of the class, were instructed why their beliefs prevented them from reciting the pledge amongst other things. We were taught that we should respect others and their beliefs. Tolerance was the message. I chuckle when I see people who can't grasp that concept in this day and age. It shows a lot about a person.
But we are disfunctional. And, the mayor is the leader of that disfunction.
ReplyDeleteThe mayor has turned her nose up at those who do not salute the flag. I also went to school with a Jehovah Witness and she did not recite the pledge or bow her head for prayer. We were taught to RESPECT those with differences. In fact we were best friends and stood side by side. I recited and saluted and she didn't. At recess we still went out to play together. Apparently the mayor did not have that teaching. Or was it more important to her to score points with her mindless supporters who do not hold her accountable for any of her wrong doing. I would like to hear from some JW's and what they thought about her tactic.
ReplyDeleteFor a Public Servant to disrespect the Veterans of this Country, whom I am sure were from various religious backgrounds but in the heat of Combat, where life stands in the balance, where the rapid fire of the enemies weapons have been aimed at them and they took all the buillets all the Bombs and anti personnel mine explosions without any hesitation... They had no time to hide behind any ideology of religious belief. THEY TOOK IT AND BLED AND DIED AND BECAME MAIMED FOR US ALL
ReplyDeleteI suggest you take a little time out from your ideology and speak to a Veteran who has served Especially an African-American, whom experienced all the worst forms of HUMILIATION
during service, but inspite of this they continued to Fight continued to bleed continued to die/ and become dismembered for us
ALL OF US
How dare a Public Servant to serve and neglect to be apart of the Pledge of Allegience...How can you serve all residents but disrespect the Veterans
Shame on the writer of this comment.
DeleteEveryone has the right not to participate in the Pledge of Allegiance. And by saying that someone who exercises that right does not support Veterans is ignorant.
Maybe you should put more of your efforts toward learning how to spell the Pledge of Allegiance.
In the heat of exchange I sometimes misspell words but thank you for the lesson and since you are such a scholar please enlighten me about your service to this country...HAVE YOU SERVED DURING WAR TIME OR PEACE TIME It amazes me the callousness of you pampered Americans whom never had to decide to kill or be killed....Calling veterans Ignorant
ReplyDeleteMay God bless you
I guess I don't get it. In her blog Williams states the she did the following for entering her oath of office.
ReplyDelete“I, Rebecca Williams, do solemnly affirm that I will support the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of New Jersey, and that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same and to the Governments established in the United States and in this State, under the authority of the People; and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of Plainfield City Council Member Rebecca Williams, according to the best of my ability.”
I understand the affirm in lieu of swearing. But further on the oath of office state she will bear true faith and allegiance. Is that not the same as the pledge of allegiance to the flag.
Maybe she could quote the part of her religion that prevents her from doing so instead of just saying it is against her religion so that we can all understand it. I guess religions from thousands of years ago new their would be flags.