Tonight after writing some content for a client’s site, I turned on Netflix and found …And Justice for All, a 1979 film staring Al Pacino where he plays an upstart lawyer going up against a corrupt legal system. Could use one of those these days, eh?
Well, it opens with the Pledge of Allegiance and I realized it’s not something I’ve ever paid attention to before. After listening to it, and then reading it online, I’m starting to wonder who, of the people that might recite it, have read it! The current revision reads as follows:
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.
A couple of things jump out at me when I read this – and I’m no legal scholar in any country, let alone a foreign one (one that’s becoming more foreign every day, I might suggest):
- There’s no pledge to the current sitting Government – it’s to the country, itself. There’s no pledge to one’s party or specific individuals in that party – not even to the Corporations that fund them. How many people in office are willing and able to uphold this pledge?
- The second thing that jumped out at me is the word “indivisible.” That’s all political people in the US seem to do – truth be damned! They divide the public, divide the government, divide the media (not hard since they come ready to debate ready-made spin).
If they can’t even get this fundamental piece down, a pledge that’s recited before Congressional sessions, why bother trying!? They just say it how it is. “This Congressional session was brought to you by Drug Company A, Oil Company C and Processed Food Manufacturers A through E. Special mention to the FDA for their token appearance including it’s director, former CEO of Processed Food Manufacturer D.”
Stopping the charade would save us a whole bunch of time if people can’t get back to the principles they claim to be about.
PS – It might be worth noting for some that Wikipedia says that the author of the Pledge, Francis Bellamy, describes him as a socialist and says the following as of March 24, 2012:
“Bellamy designed it to be recited in 15 seconds. As a socialist, he had initially also considered using the words equality and fraternity but decided against it – knowing that the state superintendents of education on his committee were against equality for women and African Americans.“
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