America, the world's foremost economic superpower, governmental leader, and consumer of goods. Who would not want to be a part of this society? How much easier could it be? If you are born here, you are already a citizen, and if you were not, an easy five years of residency and a 100 question test, not too bad. Oh, yeah and there is a small catch; your child, every day in school, will have to recite the pledge of allegiance.
According to "The Pledge of Allegiance: A Short History" they had this to say about the history of the pledge:
The Pledge of Allegiance, created in 1892 by Francis Bellamy , has been altered and changed over the years. In 1923 and 1924 the National Flag Conference, changed the Pledge's words, 'my Flag,' to 'the Flag of the United States of America.' Bellamy disliked this change, but his protest was ignored. In 1954, Congress after a campaign by the Knights of Columbus, added the words, 'under God,' to the Pledge. The Pledge was now both a patriotic oath and a public prayer.
Now, the pledge is said by Catholics, Atheists, Jews, Muslims, and everyone else living in America. 20% of students in schools do not say the pledge in schools and 10% of that does not even stand up while the pledge is being said. And many of them feel offended by the words under god. This is a very important moment in our countries time, to act on this important subject. Do you feel safe pledging to a government that at any given moment could become the enemy of the rest of the world. Agreeing to the pledge is like agreeing to 2,650 nuclear missiles. Why should we stand here with our hands over our hearts to a government that would not take a pledge to us? I am not asking for a insurrection, just a choice. If I chose not to say the pledge of Allegiance no one should care. I do not want awkward glances from my peers and teachers. I want to be accepted by society and not be called names, harassed, or anything like that, I want the freedom to do what I want, say what I want, and be who I am. Is that such a crime? However, I am not the only one who is like this. Michael Newdow, a physician and an atheist. He sued Sacramento County, California, school district his daughter attended, and claiming public recitation by students violates the 10-year-old child's religious liberty. However the Supreme Court dismissed the case by finding a technicality.
If the Supreme Court would agree to hear the Newdow case again, and did not find a convenient technicality to not deal with it, then I expect the Supreme Court will uphold the lower court ruling that the pledge is unconstitutional. However, they are likely to be under incredible political pressure from the executive branch to rule otherwise - they might buckle. The defense in this case argues that the "under God" clause is a statement of patriotism and not religion. How a reference to a deity is not religious at all?
The other defense is that those who do not want to say the pledge can freely abstain. Which is not true; peer pressure in schools to conform is overwhelming, very few kids are going to abstain when the status quo is to conform. The pledge has therefore become an instrument of religious indoctrination and coercion, both of which I'm sure the Supreme Court will fully understand. Why do I care? The kids in schools 10 maybe 15 years from now will be my government when I am old I want freedom and justice to reign and not religious intolerance, coercion, and superstitions. That is why it is important that we fight for truth and freedom whenever possible.
After this pledge case is through, the "In God We Trust" clause on all our money must be the next thing to go. So in the meantime let us go ahead and alter the Pledge of Allegiance and remove the "Under God" statement, for the good of our country and for the good of our future.