Agenda - 10-06-20; 8-a - Minutes

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43 1 Commissioner McKee said yes, he would like to recite the pledge four times a year. He 2 said he sees no need to do so at every meeting, but he feels blessed to live here, and it seems 3 appropriate to recite the pledge to mark the beginning and end of the BOCC seasons 4 Commissioner Greene said she supports this motion, and she has been considering that 5 democracy is at risk currently, and it is important to remember the foundation of the nation. She 6 said the history of the pledge goes back over 100 years, and was started to teach school 7 children the importance of liberty and justice for all. She said she is gratified to have learned the 8 history of the pledge. She said Commissioner McKee's motion is more than reasonable. 9 Commissioner Marcoplos said his perspective is different, and he sees this as a divisive 10 power play to get the BOCC to recite the pledge. He said the BOCC works on real issues that 11 will affect those in the future. He said there is no need to say a few words to communicate any 12 patriotism, or wear it on one's sleeve, as actions speak much louder. He said this seems like 13 theatre to him, and the BOCC expresses its patriotism in its very service. He said it is time to 14 move on. 15 Commissioner McKee said wearing patriotism on one's sleeve would be reciting the 16 pledge at every meeting, and that is why he is only recommending doing so 4 times a year. He 17 said the pledge holds meaning for him. He said he is not forcing anyone to recite it, as his 18 motion specifically says doing so is optional. He said he does not disparage anyone who 19 chooses not to recite it. 20 Chair Rich stated that Commissioner Price asked if staff would look at how other local 21 boards handle the recitation of the pledge, and staff discovered that no other local board does 22 so. 23 Commissioner Dorosin said he appreciates the conversation, and has thought a lot 24 about this topic. He said he, too, is grateful to live in this country, and takes his obligations to 25 the Board and the County very seriously. He said foremost among the rights given by the 26 constitution is the right to dissent. He said reciting the pledge at BOCC meetings has a 27 compulsory air to it, and risks alienating those that choose not to do so. He said it would place 28 pressure on those in attendance to participate. He said when the statement "under God" was 29 added in 1954, the pledge went from being a secular statement to an endorsement of religion, 30 and, in his opinion, violated the separation between church and state. He said in 1943, the US 31 Supreme Court struck down a law compelling students to recite the pledge. He said he feels a 32 great allegiance to this country, but does not feel residents should be required to make 33 compulsory pledges. 34 Commissioner Marcoplos said he agreed completely with Commissioner Dorosin's 35 comments. 36 Commissioner Greene said the motion does not require participation, and this will not be 37 a group of impressionable school children, but rather adults who can do as their hearts convict. 38 She said reciting the pledge allows a reclaiming of the roots of what this country stands for. She 39 said the pledge should not have been captured by the right in culture wars, and her position is 40 unchanged. 41 Commissioner Price said she can go either way, and she has never felt compelled to say 42 the pledge. She said she has never experienced stigma for not reciting the pledge, and she 43 feels Commissioner McKee's proposal is a compromise. She said North Carolina Association of 44 County Commissioners (NCACC), National Association of Counties (NACo) meetings and 45 Democratic Party meetings start with the Pledge. 46 Commissioner Bedford said she is torn. She said the original presentation of this item 47 had an air of shame about it, but the current motion is a compromise. She said she would recite 48 the pledge, but would do so on her own. 49 Commissioner Rich said she is not one that supports saying the Pledge of Allegiance, 50 and has often felt judged for not doing so. She said the addition of"under God" made it 51 problematic for her to recite. She said this item was brought to the Board as a scolding, and