Feminists For Choice

You may have heard about 10 year old Will Phillips–the Arkansas 5th grader who refuses to recite the Pledge of Allegiance unless and until the U.S. is truly a place that ensures ‘liberty and justice for all.’ If not, check out the original story as it was reported in the Arkansas Times.

You can also watch video of his interview with CNN. The news article is a little more detailed, but the CNN interview is absolutely priceless!

As I watched the video the first time, I thought, “What a great kid,” and not much beyond that. But towards the end, I really started to cheer for him. It occurred to me that, particularly for a 10 year-old-boy in a very conservative area, his willingness to stand up for the rights of others is truly an act of bravery.

Clearly, Will Phillips is an uncommonly bright boy. And he is obviously opinionated and thoughtful. Courageous, brave and awesome are also adjectives that come to mind! Its not that he is being stubborn, or that he is simply defending his own rights (though, as he will tell you and has told school officials, he does have a first amendment right to free speech and they can not force him to say the pledge), he is risking all sorts of consequences to stand up for the freedoms of others.

And that, my friends, is amazing! Since Will is doing all of this on behalf of others and since he is getting his share of flack for it, I think it is only fair for us to send our support his way. His mother is printing out positive comments she finds on the web about him, which is awesome (and a testament to what incredible parents Will has), but I think we should go a step further.

Dear readers, I urge you to send a hand written letter of support to Will today! Out of respect for his family (and his mail carrier!) sending them directly to his house is probably not the best idea.

Instead, lets send them care of the Arkansas Times. Here is the address:

Will Phillips
c/o David Koon, Arkansas Times
Post Office Box 34010
Little Rock, AR 72203

If Will inspires you like he does me, please take a few moments to send him your thanks. His fellow students are (predictably) harassing him and insulting him over this. Lets do the right thing and stand up for him, as he is standing up for others.

You can also leave positive comments here for his mom to find…either way, lets show our support for this courageous boy!

THANKS WILL! YOU ROCK!