You Can't Make This Stuff Up Dept.
I recently visited a cousin in a nice area of Minneapolis (seems there aren't too many not-nice areas up there, but stay with me). Her daughter's first grade class - public school - doesn't say the pledge "probably because of the 'under God' thing," she tells me, but she can't be sure. And for Halloween the students came home with costume guidelines. Witch costumes were banned since they might offend wiccans.

Now, I've read about this kind of stuff but you never think you're going to see it up close and in person!

Sort of like the time I saw a car with a Kucinich bumper sticker on the freeway. I had to catch up to it and drive side-by-side for a while just to get a look at a real-life, bonafide Kucinich supporter! It was so cute!

Meanwhile, back here in solid-blue Los Angeles, my daughter's kindergarten teacher teaches patriotic songs. My kid can already sing America the Beautiful and the Star Spangled Banner, and does so often and with great volume. And at parent-teacher night the teacher said that the students say the pledge (yes, my kid can do that now, too) - noting that while there's been some talk about the "under God" controversy in the news, she doesn't care about it.

I want her to be my teacher.

As for Halloween, I believe one kid dressed up as Dracula, but so far no one from the Vampire community has demanded any blood.

HA! HA! I kill me! - served up by Ralphie @ 2:29 PM