I Pledge Alligence...just not the same way you do.

Every Friday morning I am granted the opportunity to go into work an hour later than the normal. This is due to the fact that (1) I am the only employee working on Friday (and only a few hours at that) and (2) most places we deal with do not open until an hour after our normal operating hours. On Friday mornings I get to hear items on the radio that I usually miss during the week, for example, I get to hear the Pledge of Allegiance recited and the National Anthem sang. Not an extremely patriotic individual, I usually have a reaction to hearing these in the morning; however, my reaction this morning was not too pleasant.

First, let’s break down the Pledge of Allegiance:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

At first glance there may not seem to be anything wrong with that; however, I can assure you that this statement is a bold faced lie.

For starters, “one nation under God,” is the first lie in the pledge. Contrary to whatever you may feel or chose to believe, America is not a Christian nation nor was it founded on Christian ideologies. In fact, it was not even founded on the basis of vast freedom of religion. Read a history book, do some research and you will find that our Founding Fathers were not Christian, or even religious in the sense of the word used today. Do some more history research and you will discover that the clause “under God” was not added until the year 1954 (note the pledge was originally written in 1892). Our country is not “under God,” so count that as lie or fallacy number one.

Lie or fallacy number two: “indivisible.” This one makes me chuckle just a little bit because our country is very divisible. I know the pledge was written after the Civil War, but seriously…you don’t get but so much more divisible than a Civil War. Strike number one. Strike number two: class systems. I will admit I am not but so knowledgeable regarding this area, but the gap between the wealthy and the poor is larger than it has ever been before—again the country is divided; the rich and the poor. Strike number three: two party system. I know especially with this election, the entire country is divided between the right and the left—everything Obama does is socialist and extremely left (btw, totally untrue, those of us on the left are extremely disappointed) and everything the Republicans do is extreme and turning the country backwards (not completely true, just those getting media coverage). Again the country is divided. And to take it one step forward, the two parties themselves are even becoming divided on some major issues (gay rights, immigration, taxes, etc…). So, lie or fallacy number two.

Lie or fallacy number three, my personal favorite: “liberty and justice for all.” I should not even have to address the problems with this one. Seriously? Liberty and justice for all? All Americans? Then, I must say it is safe to assume that African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, and Transgender (LBGT) are not Americans. At the time it was written women were not considered Americans either, nor were those who did not own land. How magical, liberty and justice for all—as long as you are a land owning white male. How quaint. It kills me that this has to be said over one hundred years since it was written, but obviously there is no such thing as liberty and justice for all in America…not yet at least. LGBT cannot even serve openly in the military…but it’s liberty and justice for all. Lie number three touches me deep down in my heart and I could write a whole book on the problems there; so I will leave it here.

I will; however, note that there is one truthful statement in the pledge: to the republic for which it stands. For once our country is recognized for what it truly is, a republic, not a democracy. Kudos for getting that one detail right.


Oh, and by the way, the author of the pledge was self declared and recognized Socialist…chew on that.