Pledge Allegiance To The Swag

Over the past couple of days I have learned a lot more about the Pledge of Allegiance and the differences of importance that it serves around the country. It seems as if different rules are enforced around the United States and these rules have caused some disagreements with my opinions of this daily  pledge. In my experience with the pledge I believe that the only thing that should be enforced is having respect for the country. During homeroom everyday I try to make sure that I stay quiet during the pledge, and I feel comfortable as I am not forced to recite the words. My disagreement with this controversy comes in play when I read this article and discovered that students in different states had severe consequences for not reciting these words. For example, in West Virginia if students refused to recite the pledge it says, "The students could be expelled for insubordination, while their parents could face $50 fine and a 30-day jail term." This completely goes against my views on the pledge because no one should ever face a consequence for not reciting the pledge. We are giving the freedom of speech, which also gives us Americans the choice to not speak so if people are being to say the pledge then they are essentially taken away our rights. If I were to change anything about these laws, I would change it so that people are not forced to serve consequences if they do not recite the pledge because it should be our decision to decide our ways to respect the country. It should be our choice to create our own peace during the pledge which can be accomplished in our own swag.