"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."
How many times have we said those words? Thousands? Hundreds of thousands? If you attend public school in the US, you say it literally every morning.
How many of us have actually ever though about the words we were saying? I know that I was probably in second grade before I realized that there wasn't something called a "pledgallegiance." It was just so rote that I never even realized what I was saying.
Well, there's a very precocious 10-year-old boy in Arkansas who has not only thought about the words, but who has decided that he won't continue to say them until they actually hold meaning for all Americans. He analyzed the Pledge one weekend because he wants to be a lawyer. (Can you see why I love this kid?)
He's specifically referring to that last clause: "liberty and justice for all." Until there really is liberty and justice for all, he wants no part of saying the Pledge.
Discuss...
I actually stopped saying the "under God" part roughly halfway through high school (long before there was that lawsuit seeking to invalidate the Pledge for that very reason) not because I didn't believe in God or something like that, but because I didn't feel comfortable in being forced to pledge allegiance in this way and refer to God in a public school. Even when I did the morning announcements my senior year of high school (and thus had to lead the Pledge over the loudspeaker) I still neglected to say that part. I didn't skip over it. I was simply silent for the two seconds it took for the rest of the students to say that part, and then picked it up again.
ReplyDeleteFortunately I grew up in a pretty liberal state, because it was never an issue.
Anyway, whether you agree with the kid or not, you still have to admire him standing up for his beliefs and the fact that he actually sat down and was analyzing what most of us just say without thinking twice.
I love how this kid is taking a stand for what he believes in. It's so inspiring to see people stand firm in what they believe is right!!
ReplyDeleteHe is so brave and the role model of a true hero. I'm proud to be a fellow Arkansan. It's not easy standing up for gay rights (or minority rights for that matter) in a mostly conservative state. He lives in a little town and is being ridiculed by many of his classmates, but he's holding true to his beliefs.
ReplyDeleteBravo little man. You are what awesome is made of.