To Americans of the late 19th century, “allegiance” was a feudal concept denoting subservience to a master. Americans considered themselves sovereigns, not subjects. They feared that the natural supremacy of the individual over his government, as reflected by the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed in the constitutions of the United States and of the several states, might eventually be overturned by the ideas expressed in the Pledge.

They, unlike so many Americans today, understood that those who exercise the instruments of government — public servants — feel more comfortable ruling than serving.

http://www.hawaiireporter.com/story.aspx?4794f563-c844-4835-85a7-d9a1c3737731

More on the Pledge at:
More at: http://members.cox.net/patriotismforall/

Every church I have been in recently seems to have an American flag posted behind the altar. All the major religions, with the exception of a few groups like Jehova Wintesses provide chaplains for the military, etc.

Thomas Jefferson had it right when he said that religious men tended to be apologists and enablers for tyranny.

Do home schoolers have to say the Pledge ?

Also, the pledge is now a choice, and not a requirement.

Good recapitulation of the point. They’re now free not to say it, I guess.

And we are never free. We never will be.

I guess that all depends on one’s definition of freedom. Does freedom mean “free from effort”, “free from reality”, or “free from consequences”? Does freedom mean: “living in a State which recognizes written constitutional limits on its power and growth”? If a State has such a constitution and politicians ignore it when it’s inconvenient, are we still free?

The legitimate question that lingers for me is: Can a first grader really understand that and communicate it with any authenticity, repeating it by rote in a classroom? What does that practice actually exercise?

The Pledge of Allegiance isn’t a brainwashing mechanism. It is a motivational tool teaching to care about that which allows you to “feel” free.

And we are never free. We never will be. The Constitution doesn’t make us free, and neither does anything we amend to it. It gives us “freedoms”, but doesn’t give us the ability to be free. So, in my mind, it is entirely compatible.

Also, the pledge is now a choice, and not a requirement.

Kids generally just do whatever they’re told, or whatever everyone else is doing, without thinking much about it anyway. At least I did a far as the Pledge was concerned. Not that that makes it any less creepy, but I don’t think such thoughts as “Gee, I’m a Godless commie pinko, I can’t in good conscience say this!” often occur to them.

Before learning this (learned this fact in the 2004 third party presidential debate from the Socialist Party candidate), as an atheist I was more focused on the “under God” part and missed the overall implications of pledging allegiance to the state. After learning the identity of the author, it made me question the whole thing.

When considering the wording carefully, it should come as no surprise that the Pledge of Allegiance is Socialist in its origin.