• NaibofTabr@infosec.pub
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    4 months ago

    If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.

    […]

    Those who begin coercive elimination of dissent soon find themselves exterminating dissenters. Compulsory unification of opinion achieves only the unanimity of the graveyard.

    Justice Robert H. Jackson, West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette

    While it’s true that this ritual is commonly practiced in the US, it is also true that everyone has the protected right to not participate, which has been upheld in court (Frazier v. Alexandre).

    Personally, I feel that choosing to exercise your civil rights is a highly patriotic act.