i found this a VERY odd reason

for a school teacher at a catholic school to be terminated. note: mr kobasa DID offer a compromise. he offered to bring a flag into his classroom during the pledge of allegiance and then remove it (the pledge IS said in kolbe cathedral high school). i don't know mr kolbe and i'm not exactly sure what deep seeded beliefs he holds. however, he DOES sound like quite an HONORABLE man.

Teacher Fired For His Beliefs
October 15, 2005 By LYNNE TUOHY, Courant Staff Writer

Stephen Kobasa has taught English in parochial schools for 25 years, always with a deep religious conviction and without an American flag in his classroom.It was never an issue until this school year began.
Kobasa was fired from his job at Kolbe Cathedral High School in Bridgeport Thursday, in the face of a new diocesan policy that he says he's never seen in writing and hours after turning in his classroom flag to Principal Jo-Anne Jakab."I had come to the end of all the procedures of appeal available to me," Kobasa, 57, said Friday. He said his deep-seated religious belief, not un-American sentiments, was at the core of his opposition to having the flag in the classroom. "The crucifix cancels all flags," said Kobasa, a longtime peace activist. "Christ speaks of compassion without boundaries. ...Flags are about separation, assertions of superiority and aggression. The whole notion that loyalty to country is connected to one's religious faith is totally bizarre and unjustified."A statement posted on the Diocese of Bridgeport's website, attributed to spokesman Joseph McAleer, confirmed that Kobasa "is no longer a member of the faculty at Kolbe Cathedral High School. It is not our policy to comment on any internal personnel matter."The statement makes cryptic reference to the flag issue, without direct reference to Kobasa."Our Catholic schools provide a dynamic learning environment in which respect for the opinions of others, as well as respect for school property, are both key components," it says. "The Diocese of Bridgeport has long believed that the American flag is an important fixture in its Catholic school classrooms."When asked if Kobasa's opinions had been respected, McAleer declined to comment..............