Wednesday, July 3, 2002
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Wednesday, July 3, 2002 |
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Leave my Pledge of Allegiance alone
By JOHN MUNFORD You want to do what? Take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance? Because you believe in several gods? Gimme a break. Apparently that's the solution from some cuckoo judges out west who think the phrase, "One nation, under God," makes our Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional. Bullhockey. They're reading a little too much into who/what constitutes God. The Pledge doesn't specify a Catholic God, a Muslim God, a Hindu God or a Southern Baptist God. It doesn't single out anyone's personal God (or gods, I guess, if I'm to be absolutely politically correct). Saying we're "One nation, under God" simply acknowledges that a higher power is responsible for putting us here and for the freedoms and luxuries we receive. Take the Earth's oceans. Were they man-made? I think not. When I recite the Pledge, I get a swell of American spirit knowing that everyone in the room will recite together what we Americans believe in. It's especially moving since these days you can't pull 10 Toms, Dicks and Janes off the street and get them to agree on the sky being blue. It shows we Americans can put our differences aside for just a few seconds and share our belief in the same thing: Our nation is "indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." Those of you who don't believe in God should simply remain silent when everyone else says "under God" during the Pledge. If you believe in more than one God, simply add your own "s." The Pledge Police won't cite you, I promise. Just say the rest of the anthem with me, will you, brothers and sisters? We agree on everything else in the Pledge, right? Are we a nation "indivisible, with liberty and justice for all"? You bet your sweet grits. Our nation is founded upon protection of personal freedoms. But your freedoms end when you they start to infringe upon those of others. If you choose not to believe in any God at all, I don't care. That's your choice. It's your opinion. Just don't take my God and everyone else's gods out of our Pledge of Allegiance. Delete them from your personal Pledge if you wish. But don't let your voice remain silent for the entire Pledge. If you do, someone might get the idea we Americans can't agree on anything. And if we can't agree on something, we might fall for anything. That's a troubling thought indeed.
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