The pledge


Dealing with the same tired arguments
"The Pledge issue" is actually several things masquerading as one.

First, the Pledge of Allegiance is meaningless unless you can be held accountable for what you pledge.

We do not let six year olds drive. Eight year olds can't be legally bound by anything they sign. Eleven year olds can't vote.

Why in the name of all that is Blessed are we expecting them to recite a Pledge?

Second, the Pledge is meaningless unless it is said without coercion and freely chosen.

Third, the words "under God" conflict directly with the word "indivisible." If there is a single thing in history that has been more divisive than religion, I do not know what it is.

And just for the record, any faith that is forced is not faith but slavery.

And then finally, we get to those twin issues of "if there is a god" and "which god?" I don't think there are too many Jews who would appreciate a pledge that calls on Loki for example. I don't think they appreciate a pledge that calls on the Christian god either, but that is another issue.

Funny, all these problems go away if government does one thing.

Government just needs to recognize the rights of people to make their own choices and that those people must accept the responsibility of those choices. If someone chooses, that is liberty. If someone is forced, that is tyranny.

Which is the American tradition?

— NeoWayland

Posted: Mon - September 19, 2005 at 05:01 AM  Tag


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