Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson for October 20, 2010

Neither can the principal…

Way to start your day right.

Just how many Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs did you have this morning, Calvin?

ha ! the principal looks as though he was almost expecting a visit from Calvin.

Off to an early start! Good thing Calvin ate his frosted sugar bombs this morning!

I don’t even know, what court district I am!!!

Calvin’s daily appointment…..

To Miss Wormwood and the principal - that’s what Mom and Dad have to deal with everyday.

I can’t believe I look up to a 6 year old cartoon kid…

Love the face in panell 2

That was a quick visit, Calvin!

G’Morning, Marg, Mike & Grog!

I tagged this for future reference :) Without belaboring the point, yes Calvin I think you can decline to say the Pledge.

“Under Pressure” – Queen & David Bowie Is everybody singing now? I know it’s early!

AAAHHH!!! I remember it well! My attitude wasn’t considered appropriate in ‘45 either and not only had Chocolate Frosted Sugar Bombs not been invented yet, Congress had not postured and pandered “,under God,” into the pledge! Much has changed in the world, but hypocritical politics still thrives!

Calvin’s right, of course. He doesn’t have to say the pledge per the Supreme Court decision re the pledge & school kids (1943, I think). That’s a lot to deal with before 8:15 a.m.

I wonder if Bill Watterson was like Calvin when he was Calvin’s age.

handymanherb: It’s a 15-year-old comic strip that’s saying a number of things, none of which are anti-American. And, no, those who “attack this country,” if by “attack” you mean criticize, should not leave it.

Where my kids go to school they would say the pledge to the flag once a week. Then when war came a fact student recommended have pledge said everyday. Would some say speaking this everyday get tiresome. Let see Mon class stand up start I pledge, Tues class please stand I pledge, Wed class please stand up I pledge, until Friday say the pledge. I know we need to honor the flag, being American, and honor troups who fight everyday for our freedom. Like my daughter would say everyday the pledge. I know I would get tired of it. The student should not have said everyday once a week. I know it only takes couple of minutes.

Will this be a two-trip day? Given, of course, that Calvin’s first visit was so early in the day.

Good Morning, Marg, Mike & ♠Lonewolf♠.

@handymanherb

It’s not an attack against our country. It’s a barb against an evil and greedy government. We aren’t going to leave. We are going to make it better.

Deal with it.

Every action (or inaction) is a personal choice, whether the action or inaction is considered legal, moral, ethical or not.

I prefer to honor the flag and my country. My choice.

Fer Lefer… Our Pledge: 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.

We said the pledge everyday when i was in elementary school, and then we started it again when I was in High school. When I was in high school, we said it as a school, but you could choose to stay seated and not say it. No one did, but it was a choice you had!

Mrs. Wormwood has man hands

I pledge allegiance, to Queen Frag and her mighty state of hysteria…

Having schoolkids swear a pledge of allegiance to a flag is one of those quaint American customs which are quite baffling to much of the rest of the civilized world.

Not that other countries don’t approve of loyalty to ones country, or for that matter the ideals of the Founding Fathers of the USA - liberty and justice for all is a worthy goal which hopefully will be achieved some day - but it just somehow smacks a little of brainwashing. And that surely can’t be right in the ‘home of the free’, can it?

So Calvin should be entitled to abstain … however, I rather suspect that his protest is not a matter of principle but he’s trying to wriggle out because he’s forgotten the words ;-)

Handyman Herb,

Back in the day your comment was ineloquently stated as “America: Love It or Leave It”.

This was countered by “America: Change It or Lose It”.

And the beat goes on …

Such Sweet Word’s………. God bless the U.S.A. !!!!!!!!1

It took me a while to set up a new account. In the mean time, RCMinor beat me to the punch!

The socialist who created the original pledge in 1892 was named Francis Bellamy. Looking up both Francis Bellamy and Bellamy Salute on Wikipedia are informative.

Actually, in today’s “educational” environment, I might be scared to mention “God” in school too.

he chooses his allegiances very carefully. :-)

Why do so many complain about the way we do things in this country and want to change them; yet they are part of our history that got us to this point?

I wonder what it would look like if we really let everyone have all the freedoms they say they want? Most of the other peopls freedoms I hear the most about would impact with my idea of my freedoms.

We can’t even get a small city to agree much less an entire country. Brings to mind the phrase “love it or leave it”. If you don’t like it the way it is then go to where everything is to your liking.

Must be a record for Calvin, even he can’t believe how early he’s visiting the principal!

Calvin’s a free thinker!

Thats one hell of a start Calvin my boy. In my country we pledged to King, country,God 1940s worked then and now in 2010 people try and sneak in by the boat loads. Calvin get back in the class room.

well she just asked him..he could’ve just said no XD

Not exactly the most auspicious way to start off a brand new school year, Calvin!

Let us be clear on Francis Bellamy. He was a Baptist minister and Christian Socialist. The changes that others made to the pledge were not his idea (granted “under God” was added after his death).

jcarter53, There are many things that are part of our national past, even part of our national fiber, but that should be changed or discarded. What is so extraordinary or objectionable about that? We always have to evaluate what we have done, where we have come from and what our values have been – and then we must decide what to keep, what to strengthen and what to dump. If we don’t do that, we grow stagnant and ignorant. Or we become reality show contestants.

“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.”

I love just typing that out.

Calvin, live and learn….

I coach debate, and one part of my job is to ensure both sides of a position are examined. The “under God” portion, added in the 1950’s, was intended to foster an allegiance against the Axis of Evil countries. As far as if Calvin has the right to refuse, he does, without penalty. It is a basic right to be silent if you want. Too bad so many people decline it when they really have nothing to say. You rock, Calvin!

Can’t they get this comic sync’ed with the proper dates. It’s the middle of October and Calvin is just starting back to school. We’re about six weeks out of date.

“Under God” was added June 14, 1954. My thought even as a kid was “whatever happened to separation of church and state?”

Zerotsm. You nailed the problem. Eisenhower stuck this in as a final gasp of his “crusade” in Europe. The separation of corporations and state is the current terror.

bleeep, Calvin’s in class before 8:15? No way I want to be in his school district!

first impression, lat impression.