We talked about the issues that people have with the pledge today, but it seemed to me that we are missing the big issue. In class the ideas we talked about were issues with the "under God" phrase and how that can offend people of other non-Christian religions here in America. We also talked about the issue with "justice and liberty for all." What I was thinking about while this discussion was taking place was, whether there was a the need to say it. I really didn't know much about where or how the pledge came to be...so I googled it. According to Wikipedia, the pledge was written in 1892 for a celebration for Columbus Day (actually the 400th anniversary of Columbus's discovery of America). So, the song was written in celebration of a day, no one celebrates anymore, nor does anyone get the day off of work. It seems that we say it because that is what we have always done, not because we actually celebrate the discovery of America. I am all for promoting patriotism, and loyalty to country, however, a monotonous recitation of something that has lost its true meaning doesn't seem like the best way to inspire nationalism!
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