When I was in High school, in Denver, in the mid 60's we had an assembly in the school auditorium. There were actually two assemblies as the Auditorium only had seats for 1500 and we had 3000 students.
I was next to my best friend on the outside aisle seating section. They asked that we all stand, put our hands over our heart, and recite the pledge of allegiance. My friend on the aisle seat stood politely, with his hands at his sides, but did not put his hand over his heart and say the Pledge of Allegiance.
One of the teachers standing beside him, grabbed him roughly and pushed him into the wall for being disrespectful to the flag of the United States.
He then man-handled my friend all the way to the Assistant Principal's office, shoving him and yelling at him all the way.
When the Asst. Principal heard what my friend had done, he started yelling at my friend also. My friend asked if he could use the phone on the asst. principal's desk to call his father. My friend told his father what had just taken place, the despicable thing said to him, and the rough physical man-handling by the teacher. My friend got off the phone, and told the Asst. Principal and Teacher that his father would be there in 15 minutes.
The office was not on the street side of the building, or they would have seen out their window, the chauffeur driven limousine pull up in front of the school, with four small, Canadian Flags on the bumpers,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
He went into the office, and I think they thought my friends father would side with them in criticizing his son. He listened to then yell about his son's conduct.
Then he handed them both his business card, and asked them if it ever crossed their simple minds that his son might be a Canadian Citizen and shouldn't be expected to say the pledge of allegiance to the U.S. Flag?????? They looked at the father's business card, and he was the Chief of the Canadian Embassy in Denver.
He then stated, that by 3:00 THAT afternoon, he would expect three letters of apology, each personally signed, on his desk at the Canadiam embassy downtown. One from the Teacher, One from the Asst. Principal, and one from the Superintendent of The Denver Public Schools.
My friends father stated that if they ALL didn't comply, at 3:00 he would be calling the Editors of the Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News and report the occurrence to them...
The letters of apology were all there, personally signed, by 2:00.............
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