His response to the substitute teacher who demanded Will recite the pledge:

Though the substitute tried to make him stand up, he respectfully refused. He did it again the next day, and the next day. Each day, the substitute got a little more cross with him. On Thursday, it finally came to a head. The teacher, Will said, told him that she knew his mother and grandmother, and they would want him to stand and say the pledge. "She got a lot more angry and raised her voice and brought my mom and my grandma up," Will said. "I was fuming and was too furious to really pay attention to what she was saying. After a few minutes, I said, ‘With all due respect, ma'am, you can go jump off a bridge.' " Will was sent to the office, where he was given an assignment to look up information about the flag and what it represents.

How do his classmates show respect for the American ideal of free speech?

Given that his protest is over the rights of gays and lesbians, the taunts have taken a predictable bent. "In the lunchroom and in the hallway, they've been making comments and doing pranks, and calling me gay," he said. "It's always the same people, walking up and calling me a gaywad."

That's the reactionary right, calling those who stand up for real freedom a slur. Wonder where those kids learned that? Will actually has an understanding of America that we could reasonably say 50% of his fellow citizens will never grasp.

He doesn't sound like he needs it, but Will and his family have my full support and gratitude for standing in the face of fire.