In Utah, legislators are trying to make their school classrooms more patriotic. They are attempting to pass legislation that would require the American flag and a copy of the Declaration of Independence to be in each and every classroom:

“This started off because a friend of mind did a little bit of research on college campuses and he couldn’t find anybody who could tell him what the Constitution was, let alone what was in it ” and these were college students,” Christensen said.

“There’s not a lot of patriotism going around out there,” he said, contrasting controversy over the war in Iraq with patriotism of World War II. “We need to pass some of this on to the younger generations, what a truly special and wonderful thing our Constitution is and what a fabulous country we live in. We can’t require they say the Pledge of Allegiance anymore, but anything we can do to teach the younger generations to truly revere the flag and at least know something about the Constitution, I would love that.”The bill does not require the Constitution be displayed in classrooms, but Christensen said he might add that provision, and maybe the Bill of Rights, to the bill’s requirements. [Desert Morning News]

Could these Utah folks be a tad confused? To me, the controversy with the Iraq War is just another example of patriotism, wanting your government to be accountable, actually represent your wishes and making an effort to be heard by them, is in a sense really showing your respect for the country. Beyond that, it is a great example of folks using their second amendment rights.

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For more on actually living by The Bill of Rights and what it really means to be patriotic, learn a little more about the ACLU here