By guest bloggette, Reenee of Santa Maria.Check her blog: hastalosgatosquierenzapatos
Get ready folks! The next big fight looming on the horizon will be the constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance. It has all the earmarks of yet another fight which will bring out the hubris of those in Congress who still reside in the 50s, among others.
The opposition will have "Those Godless Creatures!" who will stop at nothing to destroy the "American Family." You know, the Liberals. Forget poverty, the disenfranchised, unemployment, women's personal rights, child abuse or the more important issues like "hand to mouth" survival.
It'll be the debate about the pledge that will pit the talking heads against each other. I can see it now: Faith! God! Country!
Facts For Your Consideration
Here are facts and links. You decide, and then if you want, be like Mark Twain who said, "Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please."
The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892, by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister and a Socialist. It was first published in the children's magazine, Youth's Companion in 1892 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus' arrival. He initially wanted to add the word "equality," but since women and blacks were not yet equal, he didn't. Some might argue that they still aren't.
The original pledge was:
"I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
First Change To The Pledge
In 1924, the American Legion and the Daughters of the American Revolution, at the National Flag Conference, changed the words "my flag" to "the flag of the United States," much to Bellamy's dismay. When he protested, he was ignored; after all, he was only the author. The following year they added the words, "of America."
For the next thirty years, the pledge was recited as:
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
During the 1950's the nation was suffering the drizzles as a result of the cold war and the McCarthy communist witch hunts. In 1953 the Knights of Columbus, mounted a campaign to add the words, "under God." As a knee jerk reaction to the fear of "Godless" Communists, Congress added them to the otherwise secular pledge, and in 1954 it became official. (In the 1950's the federal government's mottos changed as well.)
Second Change To The Pledge
The pledge now was both a patriotic oath and a public prayer. When Eisenhower signed it into law he said, "From this day forward, the millions of our schoolchildren will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural schoolhouse, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty." Bellamy's granddaughter said he would have resented this second change as well.
Now the pledge was:
"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."
This country was founded as a secular republic. The U.S. Constitution was first drafted in 1787 in Philadelphia by the Constitutional Convention of the new American republic and was officially adopted in 1789. The first amendment is very clear. It begins with, "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion..." How can that be misconstrued?
America's Founding Misconstrued?
The pledge didn't show up until 103 years later and was quite innocuous, yet some people believe this nation was "founded under God." These are educated people too. But then, look at how George Bush Sr. responded to this question from a reporter for the American Atheist news journal, while campaigning for the presidency in 1987:
Q: "Surely you recognize the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans who are Atheists?"
A: "No, I don't know that Atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."
Yep, that's what I like to see in any candidate, compassion, tolerance, a good grasp of the history of this country and the understanding of separation of church and state.
What Does Religious Tolerance Mean To You?
To me, religious tolerance means extending religious freedom to people of all religions, even though you sincerely disagree with their beliefs and practices. Religious freedom means that you can believe, worship and witness as you wish; and join with others to express your beliefs.
Was this ignored in the 50s? Yes, due in part out of fear of Communism. As for today, I've not seen too much tolerance in the country lately. It's "my way or the highway" for certain factions, which gives weight to what Friedrich Nietzsche said, "The Christian resolution to find the world ugly and bad has made the world ugly and bad."
The Constitutional Issue Is Not Settled
Since the courts are not filled up enough with polarizing cases, we're going to see a rerun of the Pledge of Allegiance Debate. The same attorney that filed a lawsuit back in 2002 to prevent his child from reciting it is at it again. If you recall, the Supremes weaseled out of having to rule on the issue by saying that this man "had no standing" since he did not have custody of his daughter.
OK, fine. Now he's filed on behalf of three other kids and their parents. Tenacious little guy, ain't he? Prepare for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to weigh in as well. After all, his comment was, "The high court affirmed time and again that such official acknowledgments of our nation's religious heritage, foundation and character are constitutional."
Oh yeah, don't tell me I’ll burn in Hell; I don't believe in it. --Reenee
gotta love a good dialogue.
ReplyDeletetolerance. you see too much, i see too little. might this be subjective? you have given good examples of "too much tolerance" and i mostly agree with regard to abhorrent behavior in celebrities, athletes, politicians, etc. however, i was discussing certain religious factions that will condemn others for not believing as they do. the "do unto others, love thy fellow man, etc," is not in their reality.
i never said that the pledge was a law. however, it took a law to add those two words in 1954.
with regard to the attorney who filed the lawsuit in 2002, i did not forget. i said that the supremes did not rule on it, as he "had no standing" since he did not have custody of his daughter. the added link states his atheism.
your question regarding "those third country nationals who can’t even say the pledge" is interesting to me when i recall that the initial modification to the pledge came as a result of the national flag conferences in 1923 and 1924, to make sure that foreign born children and adults knew whose flag they were saluting.