Nah, you weren't being snippy. There was no heat behind what I said, I was generally curious. I've never been to Oregon
I do agree that certain things should be kept out of school until certain ages. In my eyes, alternative lifestyles should be taught to the point of "Some people make different choices. If you want to know more about them, ask your parents." Same with drugs. "If someone offers you drugs, say no. Talk to your parents about it."
Basically I just don't want teachers to be forced to go "I'm sorry but we can't talk about that in school." Give the kid basic information and then tell them to go to their parents for more. I really hate the way this country places blame on everything and everyone save for the parents. I truly believe that the media, government, violence in video games, all that other bullshit isn't contributing to the downfall of society; it's the lack of parenting. Many parents refuse to take responsibility for their spwan and it sickens me.
You seem to be one that doesn't and while I don't agree with your views, I am however thrilled that you seem to actually care about your kids' development and are being the parent they require.
As far as the pledge goes, I'm iffy on it. To be honest, I didn't mind taking a couple minutes out of the day to say it or listen to everyone else say it. Maybe the teachers should be given the choice? If one doesn't want her class to say it, they don't. If another chooses to have her class say it, they do. There's probably too many problems with that setup though....meh, I dunno. To me the pledge is not that big of a deal.