I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Short and to the point.  It is designed that way.  No bullshit, easy to remember, clear in what it means.  Personally, I think he did an excellent job.

In 1923, "my Flag" was changed to "the Flag of the United States of America" so as not to cause confusion for immigrants.  Thoughtful perhaps, protectionist more likely, but still and acceptable Pledge for all Americans.

Enter the Jehovah's Witnesses.  In 1940, there was an uproar from them claiming that forcing children to say the pledge in school was akin to practicing idolatry.  They didn't call it being politically correct back then.  In 1943, the Supreme Courty ruled in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette that under the First Amendment, children could not be obliged to recite the pledge, and in later rulings said they didn't have to stand.  See that?  Obama had nothing to do with it! /sarcasm


Along the way, there was a salute change.  Originally the salute was arm outstretched, palm down.  That was changed to palm up because of the Nazi salute, then eventually to placing one's hand on one's heart.  This idea came from President Franklin D Roosevelt and was later incorporated into the Flag Act of 1942 and expanded to include the National Anthem.  So there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, the Act says you are supposed to put your hand over your heart for the Pledge AND the National Anthem.  And by the way, the hat should come off, men.  It's called respect.

OK back to the pledge.  The words "Under God" were first used in 1948 by a Mr. Louis Bowman.  He ad libbed it in to the pledge at meetings of the Sons of the American Revolution (like the DAR, only for guys).  This is a fraternal organization based on lineage to our founding fathers.  GHW Bush and his dad are both members, as is Jimmy Carter.  Patten and Harding and MacArthur and even Winston Churchill were members, as were many US Presidents.  Mr Bowman said he borrowed those words (under God) from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address (ahem, NOT the Declaration of Independence or Constitution or anything like that).  Then the Catholics got involved.  You remember them--those folks who made Christmas out of a Pagan holiday and changed the BIble all over the place and killed thousands in the Crusades, Ireland, and various other jihads.  They also gifted us with the idea that socialism is wrong, but unions and minimum wage were right.  Oh and that sex is for procreation, not pleasure.   Catholics have a long history of telling people how to be.

So in 1951, the Catholic Church, through their fraternal organization the Knights of Columbus,  began a drive to get Congress to amend the Pledge of Allegiance to include Bowman and Lincoln`s Under God.  It was in 1954 that George MacPherson Docherty was finally able to make the case for the change.  Docherty was a Presbyterian minister, born in Scotland  (*gasp*  you mean he wasn`t even American by birth?) and the minister at President Dwight D Eisenhower's church.  Note here that Eisenhower (born in Texas) was originally a Jehovah's Witness and converted to Presbyterianism in a ceremony on Feb 1, 1953, just weeks after becoming President.  It was almost exactly a year after his conversion that Rev. Docherty preached his "Under God" sermon to parishioners including Eisenhower.  In another irony, it was Eisenhower who delivered many of the "socialist" programs the US now has, including expansion of Social Security and the Highway Development Act that built the Interstate system, officially known as the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways .  He died in 1969 and was given an Episcopal funeral.

Back to the pledge;  the modification was signed by Eisenhower of Flag Day in June 1954, and in an August letter now in archives. Eisenhower directly relates his support of the change to Docherty's 1953 sermon on the topic.  There have been many legal challenges to the addition, and to other elements of the Pledge.  Most notably, is the permanent ruling that one is not obligated to recite the pledge, nor to stand during it.  This is considered appropriate under free speech.  Most recently (March 2010) courts ruled that reciting the pledge in schools does NOT violate a child's freedom of religion, largely because they aren't required (by law) to recite it. The appellate court ruled that the words were of a "ceremonial and patriotic nature" and did not constitute an establishment of religion.  This was cited again in a case in November of this year in Boston District Court  for the State of New Hampshire, again allowing schools to provide and participate in reciting the pledge, but not to mandate student participation.

So there you have it.  You don't have to say the pledge, no matter what your teacher says.  You can stay seated and silent, or you can stand silently, or you can recite it without the words "under God".  You can make it your own personal pledge, one that you can believe it, because our forefathers gave us the First Amendment right to do so, even if those forefathers didn't give us the Pledge.  In Canada, one still has to pledge allegiance to the Queen and I have issues with that as I face applying for dual citizenship in 2011.  But that's another blog entry entirely.

If you are feeling particularly patriotic, you might also enjoy The American's Creed, penned by William Tyler Page in 1917 and approved by Congress in 1918.

I believe in the United States of America, as a government of the people, by the people, for the people; whose just powers are derived from the consent of the governed; a democracy in a republic; a sovereign Nation of many sovereign States; a perfect union, one and inseparable; established upon those principles of freedom, equality, justice, and humanity for which American patriots sacrificed their lives and fortunes.

I therefore believe it is my duty to my country to love it, to support its Constitution, to obey its laws, to respect its flag, and to defend it against all enemies.

Or if you are looking for something religious, there's The (original) Lord's Prayer as written by the Catholic Church:

Our Father who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name;
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil.

Or if you're a purist, in Latin:

PATER noster, qui es in caelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum. Adveniat regnum tuum. Fiat voluntas tua, sicut in caelo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie, et dimitte nobis debita nostra sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris. Et ne nos inducas in tentationem, sed libera nos a malo. Amen.

In any event, honor your country with patriotism and your God with faith;  praise each from your heart and judge each in your own conviction.  Use your intellect as well as your heart, and respect others' right to do the same.