Time for a little news from Factcheck.org on Obama and the Pledge of Allegiance

Following the recent right wing propaganda driven BS about the American flag being prohibited at a South Carolina High School sporting event that I wrote about, which conveniently and dishonestly neglected to mention that those American flags were ONLY brought to games against a largely Hispanic opposing team, and used to taunt the other team, rather than for valid patriotic purposes, it is worth debunking this persistent right wing propaganda lie as well. 

I recently saw this particular rubbish accusation included in an anti-Ilhan Omar comment in a piece over at City Pages, where Obama was blamed for banning the pledge so immigrants like Omar could avoid saying the 'pladge' of allegiance (why are so many right wingers also poor spellers?), assorted references to God, and the questioning of the legal citizenship status of Ms. Omar. 

That of course ignores and denies all of the processes that immigrants go through including swearing allegiance to the USA, but it plays into xenophobic fears that the right likes to stoke with their agitation propaganda.  It also promotes the LIE that people are voting and running for office who are not citizens, in spite of the many ways this is prevented.  Voters, candidates and election judges ALL demonstrate proof of citizenship at some point or points in the election process.

So fresh from HERE at Factcheck.org

Obama Did Not Ban the Pledge

FULL QUESTION

Did Obama sign Executive Order 13738, revoking the federal government’s official recognition of the Pledge of Allegiance and banning it in public schools? Did he say the language of the pledge is “divisive” and “contrary to America’s deepest held values”?

FULL ANSWER

The rumor that President Barack Obama banned the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools originated from a satirical article posted last month by a fake news website under the headline “Obama Signs Executive Order Banning The Pledge Of Allegiance In Schools Nationwide.” The site is designed to look like ABC News, but uses the URL “abcnews.com.co,” the first tip-off that this isn’t a legitimate news site.
The made-up story begins: “Early this morning, President Obama made what could very well prove to be the most controversial move of his presidency with the signing of Executive Order 13738, which revokes the federal government’s official recognition of the Pledge of Allegiance.” It goes on to say the order makes it “illegal for any federally funded agency to display the pledge or for any federal employee to recite, or encourage others to recite, the pledge while on duty,” which also applies to “public schools.” Those who violate the order, the bogus story says, “can face fines of up to $10,000 and up to one year in federal prison.”
The satire becomes abundantly clear for those who read on. The story includes quotes from “Sock it Forward, a group that provides the homeless and those less fortunate with brand new socks” and “Fappy the Anti-Masturbation Dolphin.”
And then there’s this description of “abcnews.com.co” at the bottom:

abcnews.com.co: Thanks to ABC News President & CEO, Dr. Paul Horner for making ABC News the greatest website in the universe. We need writers! Contact us! Looking to advertise? Contact us! All trademarks, service marks, trade names, trade dress, product names, images and logos appearing on the site are the property of their respective owners. Do you have a complaint? We love to hear them! You can call our complaint department directly at (785) 273-0325. Do you have a problem with self-rape? Are you looking to get off the Devil’s playground? Fappy The Anti-Masturbation Dolphin can help! Praise Fappy! We reserve the right to change, modify or delete comments on this website, so post accordingly!

The real president of ABC News is James Goldston. Paul Horner is an internet satirist who has created many fake news websites, articles and hoaxes. He takes responsibility for the pledge article on another one of his websites. The phone number listed for the “complaint department,” as well as at the bottom of the article as an “Obama administration hotline,” is the number of the Westboro Baptist Church, which is best known for its anti-gay views and protests.

An executive order with the number 13738 does exist, but it deals with labor laws and the federal government’s use of private contractors. It has nothing to do with the Pledge of Allegiance. Obama signed it on Aug. 23, and the text is available from the U.S. Government Publishing Office. The National Archives also publishes an official list of all executive orders issued by Obama.

There's more on this at Factcheck.org, and you should read it for yourself,  but I think this sufficiently makes the point.  Few righties eager to believe the propaganda feed that is the primary purpose of the right wing media, ranging from talk radio to Fakes News, to the most egregious statements made by the GOP candidates for office will ever do their own fact checking, or pay attention to it when their noses are rubbed in it.  But at least we can limit the extent to which right wing agit prop takes hold this election cycle.  We can push back against the dumbing down and the stupefying of America, one post at a time, day after day.