With Liberty and Justice for All

I received this email from people that I dearly love, so I just want to say up front that I don't mean to offend anybody...I know that I think too much, and that on surface value, the following email doesn't sound too bad. You read it, and think, hmm sounds good, so you forward it along. But it just bothered me so much that I HAD to say something. ::wink, wink::

I received the following email today:

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!



I was asked to send this on if I agree or delete if I don't. What do you think about this?

It is said that 86% of Americans believe in God. Therefore I have a very hard time understanding why there is such a mess about having "In God We Trust" on our money and having God in the Pledge of Allegiance. Why don't we just tell the 14% to Sit Down and BE QUIET!!!

If you agree, pass this on, if not delete. .
I AGREE!!!!

Ok. Now. Here is what has been running through my mind all day long.

1) 14% is a rather large amount. Not a majority by any means, 14% is certainly a significant chunk, none the less, particularly in a country the size of America. If I had a 14% chance of getting a disease, I'd be pretty worried. 14% chance of winning the lotto? Pretty sure I'd buy the ticket. I'd be satisfies with 14% of a pizza!

14 people out of 100. 7 people out of fifty. That's a decent number of opinions.

If you are in the 12% of the population that is over 65, should your voice not count?

If you are one of 26% of the population that has a college degree, should your voice not count?

If people hadn't fought for Liberty and Justice during the Civil Rights movement for the 12.9% of the American population that is African American, think of what life would be like today...America, still segregated...a concept we now scoff at when it applies to other countries.

And 14% of our population...14%! - do not believe in God. That IS a significant statistic. That's a significant number of people who if, in the spirit of nationality and patriotism, choose to recite their entire pledge of allegiance, are required to state words that are meaningless to them. A disheartening thought, considering that the pledge is supposed to be a unifying and patriotically meaningful anthem.

(Statistics taken from: 2003 US Census

Religious Tolerance



2) Ok, now this is truly that part that pissed me off the most. I deeply sympathize for the person who originally wrote the email...how mortified they must feel to have something so hypocritical and anti American floating around the internet that they have written. However just as they have the right to say what they want...

Here is the quote, again, from the email: "Why don't we just tell the 14% to Sit Down and BE QUIET!!!


Yes. Take a moment to reflect.

Let's break down the pledge, shall we? The pledge, mind you, in its original form, written in 1892 by Frances Bellamy, a Christian Socialist and Baptist minister.

I pledge Allegiance to my flag (I promise my loyalty to the flag, a symbol of my country)
And to the Republic for which it stands (the flag, as a symbol of my government, one of the people)
One Nation, indivisible (singular and unified)
with Liberty and Justice for all (Every citizen is entitled to freedom, and the responsibility such freedoms come with, as well as justice, the right to be treated fairly and equitably.)

Most people know that "Under God" was not in the original pledge, and with reason. You may or may not know that our forward thinking reverend Bellamy originally wanted the pledge to finish "with liberty, justice, and equality for all" but feared it would be rejected because African Americans and Women were still not considered equal.

(So perhaps, a better change would be back to its original intent? - but I digress...)

Obviously "United States of America" was later added to the pledge, but considering this is an oath to the government of that country, adding the name of said country would be appropriate.

So back to the quote that so inflamed me. Would you like to read it again? "Why don't we just tell the 14% to Sit Down and BE QUIET!!!


So let me get this straight. The author of this email wants to know, first and foremost, if we agree with the pledge, and urges us to pass it on if we do. And yet, within the same email, the author slanders their own pledge, mocks its inherent message, by asking 14% of the population it represents to "sit down and be quiet."

"Sit down and Be Quiet." The same words that I am sure thousands of Abolishinists heard. The same words that thousands of suffragettes heard. The same words that millions of people must hear every day as they fight for what they believe in.

In a country where our joy, our honor, our pride, our very nationality, depends on people being able to freely express their beliefs, in freedom and democracy, in God, gods, science, or humanism; someone is using that very pledge - the pledge that defends our rights to our own beliefs and to speak freely of them without fear of persecution - to tell people to "sit down and be quiet."

The author either does not understand the words he or she says when reciting the pledge, or does not believe them. How can a person, in the same message, claim their allegiance to a country that promises individuals the right to their beliefs, and then tell 14% of those individuals to "sit down and be quiet?"

I recognize that the author isn't telling people they they aren't allowed to not believe in God.
But what the author is telling those 14% of the people is that rather than voice their opinion regarding a NATIONAL PLEDGE, they should "sit down and be quiet." 14% of the people that flag represents in a national capacity (not a spiritual capacity) should "sit down and be quiet" rather than express their belief about what such a pledge should contain.

Does the author have the right to tell people that? Of course. Just like, in a country like ours, people have the right to express any belief, mainstream or not, politically correct or not, respectful or not.

But I have a right to defend my country, and the ideals it has set forth. Our founding fathers had faith in the people, and so do I. I would never, ever, use our pledge in such a disrespectful and hypocritical manner as this author did. I know what my pledge means, and I understand the republic for which it stands.

I believe in the Pledge of Allegiance.