I heard recently yet another strident declaration from a patriotic citizen of the huge importance of every living soul on the continent having the skill needed to recite the Pledge of Allegiance flawlessly and with passion. And those unwilling should be faced with public loathing and possible criminal prosecution. However, we need to as a society and a nation disengage — step back — and review the madness of this position for one very simple reason: the Pledge of Allegiance is an outright fraud. Consider these words-“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. …” Stop the presses, folks. We are not a Republic; we abandoned the notion of a republic decades ago and have become a global empire and the most feared nation on earth. And many leaders are happy, if not giddy, to profess their love of our empire status and will even ridicule the concepts and restraints inherent in a republic.
So, if we are going to passionately demand that all sentient creatures have the ability to recite the pledge, the least we can do is make it an honest pledge — something like this: “I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the empire for which it has become: one nation committed to global hegemony and dominance, with liberty and justice for a chosen privileged few but drone assassinations and endless war for all.”
Now this revised and infinitely more accurate pledge may take a while to adopt and memorize, but it is a transition we should make as it is truthful, timely, relevant and a reminder of the perilous and ultimately destructive path that we the people have chosen for both our great nation and the world.
Jim Sawyer
Edmonds
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