I recently read a book about the pledge, "To the Flag - the unlikely history of the pledge of allegiance" by Ricard Ellis.

I heartily recommend it. The pledge essentially came to be written because Francis Bellamy (and others) were afraid the immigrants coming in to the country wouldn't be loyal to their new land without enforced patriotic practice. The history of the pledge is ugly. In 1925 a 9 year old kid in Washington state was ultimately taken away from his parents because their religious beliefs didn't coincide with pledging. Other children were arrested, expelled - and there are endless stories of Jehovah's Witnesses being persecuted for refusing the pledge.

To the best of my knowlege, the US is the only country that requires a daily loyalty oath on the part of its children. It's something one would expect in a fascist regime - not in a democracy.
 

how can you say that... everything that proves I am not a wimping democrat... like declaring my support for illegal wars, ineffective weapons systems, ... war profitteering.... unfair eleciton... AMERICAN... IS.. STRONG. liberals.... STRONG. under.. god forever... no commies... yellow ribbons forever...
 

NH has a mandatory pledge law - it is recited every single day in NH schools. Now - no one is forced to say it - but you and I both know that a kid who isn't saying it is gonna get in trouble.

I have a friend who grew up in Franco's Spain - and the children there were forced to recite a loyalty oath every day.

It seems peculiar to me that we engage in thie practice in what we still call a democracy.

I offer an alternative:

I pledge allegiance to the free market
and the profits of corporate America
and to the illusion of a republic
to which we cling
one nation
under a white, male God
highly divisible
with liberty and justice for the wealthiest among us
 

Damn right, not to mention that the "under god" bullshit was added in the 50's but the knights of columbus and other loyal botherhoods of white citizens.

This kind of BS has no place in a free society. Yet another thing that citizens and the courts had to decide because the legislators are to damn chickenshit.
 

While I respect your opinion, I respectfully disagree, wjcowie. I'm not suggesting that this is the burning issue of the day, BUT, whenever we denigrate an issue by saying it's not important enough and we have bigger fish to fry, it usually guarantees a right wing victory of some sort. It's also an unintentionally patronizing way of saying a particular issue is dumb and meaningless. No one who cares about something should EVER be told that, if we expect to keep them on our side.
(I know that wasn't your intent in this instance, Willy)

The pledge certainly isn't killing anyone - but why is it even neccessary? Why must we mandate patriotism? Why must we brainwash children?

The phrase one nation under God was added in during the 1050's Commie scare. It does not belong. One nation under god excludes a hell of a lot of people - including me.