No Pledge of Allegiance: NPR Reporter Places His Job Above Country

September 17, 2012 | Filed under Barack Obama,corruption,Culture Of Corruption,Democrats,Liberals,Media | Posted by

NPR’s Ari Shapiro doesn’t stand for the national anthem and won’t recite the pledge of allegiance. Why? Because he places his position as a “journalist” above love of county. But, one wonders, does Shapiro understand that without this country he wouldn’t be free to be a journalist?

On his NPR blog, Shapiro was thoroughly pleased with himself for imagining that a job was more important than his country, so much so that he thought enlightening the world with the debate on his Twitter account over his lack of patriotism was warranted.

The NPR reporter noted that at a recent Romney rally he was one of the few that refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance and that refusal made him take to Twitter with his anti-patriotism position.

As he Tweeted about his disinterest in our American traditions, he found that his Twitter followers agreed with him, or at least engaged in a “thoughtful Twitter dialogue” over his stand — or his refusal to stand, as it were.

Here one can almost hear echoes of Pauline Kael. Of course few people on his Twitter feed would find fault with his dearth of patriotism. After all, he lives in an NPR-fueled, liberal bubble-land. Like Kael, it’s a lock that Shapiro never met any actual patriots and wouldn’t associate with any if he had. In essence, the largest number of his Twitter fans will be people just like him, those that disdain patriotism or at least are sympathetic with the position.

But there was a method to Shapiro’s madness, in any case. You see, on top of burnishing his oh-so intellectual disgust for patriotism, Shapiro also had a single goal in mind for his piece. It comes at its end. There he bashes Romney for using the Pledge to highlight the great things about this country. That’s right, the real purpose of his anti-Pledge of Allegiance blog post was to bash Mitt Romney.

Of course, Shapiro has become an expert at bashing Romney. You’ll recall back in the first week of August when Shapiro helped mold NPR’s coverage into an Obama super PAC-style advertisement for Obama’s reelection by logging a very misleading report on Romney’s tax ideas.

But more outrageously, it was Ari Shapiro who was one of those “reporters” caught on an open mic colluding with each other on the best way to attack Mitt Romney over his statement on Egypt on August 12.

Shapiro may not stand for the Pledge of Allegiance, but he won’t sit down when there’s bashing of Republicans to be done.

« « Susan Rice: It’s All About The Video
Here’s The Latest Mitt Romney “Scandal” You’re Supposed To Care About » »

Shortlink:

Posted by on September 17, 2012.
Filed under Barack Obama, corruption, Culture Of Corruption, Democrats, Liberals, Media.
Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago-based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart's BigGovernment.com and BigJournalism.com, RightWingNews.com, CanadaFreePress.com, RightPundits.com, StoptheACLU.com, Human Events Magazine, among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events.He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book "Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture" which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of PubliusForum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions, EMAIL Warner Todd Huston: igcolonel .at. hotmail.com"The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it." --Samuel Johnson

You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
  • JWH

    i would say that if a journalist chooses not to stand up for the Pledge of Allegiance at a political rally because he feels it runs counter to journalistic ethics, that is his choice.

    If he chooses to discuss this with fellow journalists or with journalism students, then let them have their high-minded ethical debates.

    But when that reporter tweets to a general audience regarding his decision, that journalist chooses to make the story about him … and that, IMO, is unethical.

    For what it’s worth, I suspect that in that situation, I would likely stand for the pledge, but I would probably not join it … I would be more likely to observe the venue, observe the people around me, get my microphone into good position for recording, and so forth in lieu of reciting the pledge … doing my job, in other words.

    • herddog505

      That seems very reasonable. Personally, however, I would feel very uncomfortable NOT reciting the Pledge (or standing for the National Anthem).

      It seems to me that this guy is engaging in liberal chic: “Ooooh! Look at me! Look how EDGY I am! Yessir, I’m a JOURNALIST (or Citizen of the World), and I don’t put any stock in such jingoistic, crypto-fascist displays of faux patriotism!” Poser.

      • Commander_Chico_Cognoscente

        Agreed, stand, don’t stand, don’t make a spectacle of yourself.

        • Hifi1

          Exactly, and you don’t think that the GOP, by standing, wasn’t making a spectacle of itself by using the Pledge to boast how patriotic they are?

          • http://www.wizbangblog.com David Robertson

            Oh, the GOP stood and recited the Pledge of Allegiance . . . just like the Democrats did during their national convention.

          • Hifi1

            Agreed. So let’s apply this to anyone who puts on a show of pledging in public – or praying for that matter. Putting your loyalty on display makes a pandering spectacle out of you, while it makes what you are professing all that lip-service to look desperate for it.

          • Commander_Chico_Cognoscente

            No.

      • JWH

        Personally, when I say the Pledge of Allegiance as part of a group (typically at baseball games or similar), I tend to remain silent during the “under God” part. I don’t stand in the stadium and shout, “I AM AN ATHEIST AND THIS IS NOT A NATION UNDER GOD!” I simply …. don’t say it. If I’m ever at an existing discussion of the role of religion in government, perhaps I’ll bring it up. Or perhaps not.

        If somebody near me ever asks me why I didn’t say “under God,” I’ll likely tell the person to mind his own damned business unless it’s somebody I actually know.

        All of that said, at times, I am tempted to simply not say the pledge, as it is my right as an American not to do so if I choose not to … and what good is that right if I don’t exercise it?

        A final thought:

        I don’t particularly care for people who measure others’ patriotism over whether they say the Pledge of Allegiance. Reciting the pledge in part of a group because others are doing so isn’t patriotism. It’s conformist hypocrisy. When other people apply rote recitation as a measure for that person’s patriotism, those people encourage that hypocrisy, rather than encouraging patriotism.

        This mentality — enforcing conformity — can easily turn rather dark. Did you ever look at Minersville School District v. Gobitis? Look it up on Wikipedia, particularly the fallout from the decision. It’s not pretty.

    • jim_m

      There you have struck upon the real point. The issue is not genuine dissent, the issue is the reporter striking a pose to make himself a spectacle and the center of attention. It is the self-aggrandizing behavior of the reporter that serves no purpose but to trumpet to the world what a great mind he is (at least in his own estimation).

      • Hifi1

        You got it backwards, “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.” If you want to see self-aggrandizing, look who’s on stage showing off.

    • http://www.wizbangblog.com David Robertson

      At the time that Shapiro wasn’t participating in the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance, other journalists were, including those who want President Obama to be re-elected. So, I doubt that a desire for journalistic neutrality was the real reason that Shapiro didn’t participate.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_IZ5BM5GNLA54OADSWGSXAMA7SY Jay

    We’re mad about the Pledge of Allegiance which is a remnant of the Red Scare of McCarthy when the words “under God” were implemented in 1954? Interesting conclusion. Blind trust in established tradition and disdain for intellectual discussion.

    • SCSIwuzzy

      Pledge predates McCarthy. Written in the 1890s (by a socialist), adopted by Congress before the attack on Pearl Harbor

      • Hifi1

        No, the official Pledge, with “under God” added, came into existence in 1954.

        • SCSIwuzzy

          “Under God” was added to the official pledge that had been in place since ’42 iirc.

      • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_IZ5BM5GNLA54OADSWGSXAMA7SY Jay

        I stated that. How did you miss me state explicitly that the words “under God” were implemented in 1954?

    • GarandFan

      “intellectual discussion”

      Shapiro isn’t interested in intellectual discussion, he’s interested in bashing Romney.

  • GarandFan

    Shapiro fancies himself a
    “journalist”. Would that he could be so objective.

  • superdestroyer

    Mr. Shapiro is not only an Ivy Leaguer but also homosexual. Mr. Shaprio is another example of the gay mafia that was slowly been taking over MSM coverage. Mr. Shaprio’s career has benefitted from being an extreme liberal and from being homosexual. He sees Republicans as the energy and thus, treats them as such.

    • JWH

      Since when are Ari Shapiro’s bedroom habits any business of yours?

  • JWH

    From a political standpoint, it looks like Romney is using the pledge heavily in his stump speech. Perhaps he’s sincere … but invoking the pledge, the flag, Mom, and apple pie is the political version of cheap pop.

    • http://opinion.ak4mc.us/ Scribe of Slog (McGehee)

      In this economy, don’t underestimate the appeal of cheap anything.

      • JWH

        If I want cheap pop, I’ll vote for Mick Foley.

        • http://opinion.ak4mc.us/ Scribe of Slog (McGehee)

          Better him than Bloomberg.

          • JWH

            That’s a different kind of pop.

  • Daniel Ruth

    No one should chant the Pledge as it was the origin of Nazi salutes and Nazi behavior. Ari Shapiro and NPR have NEVER raised nor addressed the topic of the Pledge as the origin of Nazi salutes and Nazi behavior, and that Ari Shapiro, the NPR stenographer, did not mention the putrid past of the Pledge of Allegiance, and that Shapiro did not include a historic photo (nor video which would be even better) showing the pledge’s early stiff-armed salute. NPR will not discuss the beatings, imprisonment and even lynchings inflicted on those who refused. How many times does Bob Potter have to be debunked? No one should chant the Pledge of Allegiance. It was the origin of the Nazi salute and Nazi behavior (see the work of the historian Dr. Rex Curry). The pledge continues to be the source of that type of behavior, only the gesture has changed. Yet, that is why the NPR stenographer feels uncomfortable in refusing: FEAR similar to the fear under Stalin, Mao and Hitler

    • jim_m

      Somehow I missed my classmates with their nazi salutes and the dissenters being dragged bodily from the classroom never to be seen again. I am sure you love to hate your country, but it isn’t like that here and hasn’t been like that in anyone’s memory.

      • JWH

        Daniel is muddied on his history and on the English language, but he is right about one thing: There was indeed a stiff-armed salute to the flag (the “Bellamy salute”), but it fell out of favor when fascists in Italy and Germany began using a similar salute:

        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellamy_salute

    • http://www.wizbangblog.com David Robertson

      No one should chant the Pledge as it was the origin of Nazi salutes and Nazi behavior.

      Huh? The U.S. Pledge of Allegiance causes Nazi behavior?

      That claim is so far out of this world that NASA can’t get a radar fix on it.

      • JWH

        Daniel is incoherent at best. As nearly as I can tell, the Bellamy salute and the Nazi salute were aesthetically similar. I think this is because both were patterned after a Roman salute. A common origin, not one descended from the other.

    • http://profiles.google.com/rigoletto339 Michael Zorn

      Poor Daniel. As is usual with most ill-informed people, he remembers only what he wants. Originally, the Pledge ended with a right-arm salute. When the Nazis took over that salute, it was dropped from the recitation.

  • Olsoljer

    I suggest listening to Red Skelton’s Pledge of Allegiance. It may refresh the meaning. Saying “Under God” is a personal choice –

  • Hifi1

    But, one wonders, do you understand that without this freedom it wouldn’t be this country?

  • sabbahillel

    Your headline implies that he would be fired if he stood for the Pledge of Allegiance.

  • http://profiles.google.com/rigoletto339 Michael Zorn

    It’s always nice to get a reminder of why I stopped listening to NPR.