San Francisco: Board Of Supervisor Member Refuses To Say Pledge Of Allegiance

Posted: 8:12 pm PST February 1, 2011
SAN FRANCISCO -- A controversy was brewing at San Francisco’s City Hall Tuesday night over one of the new members of the Board of Supervisors who refuses to recite the pledge of allegiance.District Six Supervisor Jane Kim said she has been surprised by the criticism since she came to city hall as a supervisor.While Kim rises with her fellow supervisors for the Pledge of Allegiance at each session of the Board of Supervisors, she does not recite the pledge and hasn't since taking office last month.Kim said it's a personal decision of how to honor the flag and country."I don't think our flag represents a nation where there's liberty and justice for all," argued Kim. "And I reserve my right to disagree or to even protest when I think our government isn't representing the best of our ideals or principles."Kim said she hasn't recited the pledge since high school and stayed silent during her previous tenure as the Board of Education President.Instead, Kim said she prefers to let her actions speak louder than those 31 words.UC Hastings Law Professor Calvin Massey said no law requires elected officials to recite the pledge."Jane Kim is completely within her constitutional rights," said Massey. "The cultural perception is if you're an elected official, you're a part of American representative democracy [and] you probably shouldn't have a problem pledging allegiance to the United States."Kim’s position has incited criticism from some people who wonder why she has taken this stand.

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