It was on Flag Day,  June 14, 1954, just a year after being baptized a Presbyterian, President Eisenhower signed into law a bill adding the words "under god" to the Pledge of Allegiance".  For almost 200 years, the country survived quite well without this addition, for almost 200 years, this country moved further and further towards "all people are created equal". Unfortunately, for quite some time we have been moving away from this premise. Clearly, the 5% of the population who are atheists are becoming more and more disenfranchised and isolated. Wanna believe in god, great, do it on your own time and in your church/temple/mosque/hogan/home, anywhere you choose that is private. Keep your religion out of government, public schools, and any other place that intrudes on others.

Allegiance should be pledged to the spirit of the country and what the constitution offered to all, not to a piece of cloth nor to a set of religious beliefs. What made this country great is the right of every individual to speak freely, even with speech that is offensive to the government or others. What made this country great is the right of every individual, whether in the majority or minority, to stand behind their principles, protected from persecution. This includes protecting the religious beliefs of all.  The closer the country moves to the right and radical religious intrusion in to government the further it moves from the intent of the founding fathers and the further it moves from tolerance, humanity and basic civility and human rights.

Pledging allegiance to the flag is symbolic, one does not literally pledge allegiance to a physical flag, one  pledges allegiance to what the flag stands for.

Happy flag day, think about the meaning behind the flag, not the meaning of a few pieces of cloth and some thread.

nuf said