It’s been almost a week since the Sioux Falls School Board made its decision to require elementary and middle school students to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Previous pledge policy was for daily recitations for just the elementary grades.  The firestorm was the fact that the high schools were not required to say the pledge after Veterans had petitioned the board for the change.

After the decision and the national attention gained because of it, people are still expressing their feelings. One caller to KSOO’s Viewpoint University derided the lack of journalistic integrity of Don Jorgenson of KELO. The accusation against the news anchor was that the story got too big because he failed to clarify some of the details. For example, the board did not previously require the public high schools to say the pledge daily.

The insertion of Hal Wick’s legislative solution also brought some listener commentary. Understanding the personality and the conservative leanings of Wick, callers to the program understood the passion and the intent behind the Pledge of Allegiance mandate. Nonetheless, the prevailing sentiment is that the involvement of the South Dakota legislature might be taking the matter a little too far. One listener feels compelled to recite the pledge every day on his own by himself, but also understands that patriotism cannot be compelled.

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