Question of the Day

The pledge in and of itself is a very strange thing. When kids start saying it, they have no idea what it means. In fact, that way we're taught to recite it actually masks its meaning:

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

When you're six years old, most of those words don't make any sense to begin with, but when you break it up like that it loses even more meaning. The first three lines are a complete sentence but it's broken up as if it were three entirely separate concepts.

This is why some people call the pledge indoctrination or brainwashing. Kids are told to recite it hundreds of times before they even understand what it means.
 
What do pledges of other countries say? I would like to have a comparison to find out if ours is bad or not. (oh, and God is spelled with a capital G).
 
Well I'm not saying ours is "bad". But some criticize the way in which we teach it to our children, and I think there is some merit to that argument.

Also, I've been told that the "under god" portion that was added to the pledge does not specifically refer to the Christian God, but is a general reference to a higher power. Thus, I correctly don't capitalize it.
 
who told you that? If it refers to the same diety that is spoken of in our founding fathers' documents (Constitution, etc.) then it is the Christian God. Denying the origin of our history, or trying to generalize the God mentioned, is revisionist.

I'm not accusing you of this, btw.
 
I thought the Constitution referred to "nature's God"?

Anytime the issue of of the "under god" clause comes up, especially with regard to nonestablishment, the counterargument is always that it's not specific and is rather a general higher power. At least, that's what I've always heard.

Considering that our founding fathers couldn't even agree on their own ideas of the Christian God (some of them were Diests, for example), I don't put much stock in falling back on the mention of God in our founding documents. I sure as hell don't know exactly what they were thinking when they wrote 'em, and I don't trust anyone who thinks they do know.
 
Don't trust me then. I've heard plenty of evidence to back up the Christian God faction. Even though they did disagree on some of the finer points, most (all from what I can tell) were of the same mind as to which God they were talking about. Even Ben Franklin bought into this and he was much more radical in his thoughts than the norm.
 
Thomas Jefferson was a Deist as BC alluded to. Plus, the words 'under god' were written in years later after the original pledge was made. Also from my understanding, the school had no real legal basis to take action against me. I almost got the ACLU involved, but I decided to let it go. We came to a compromise that allowed me to show up to class late after the ritual pledging of allegiance in the morning, thus avoiding the whole situation.

I don't consider the public school system (at least in my area) to be very constructive in building model citizens. I got the feeling they were doing the least required of them. Each teacher had his/her own motives for teaching; nothing was a unified effort or an overarcing effort to build well-rounded citizens. They teach the values of the area were I grow up and shun "free" thinking as it were. Therefore, they teach you how to be a good citizen in a geographically confined region. Actually, it's more like reinforcement, as it seems more how kids are raised by their parents/relatives/peers or lack of raising that ultimately provide them with their outlook and tools on life.
 
Welcome to Monday! Ok, that's all the excitement I can muster about starting a new week of work. Anyways, let's get the week off right with a lighter QotD.

If you could experience something, without consequences or other people remembering what you did, what would you do? A truly "Groundhog Day" experience.
 
I'm not sure what I would do. I do have a list of people that deserve to get smacked in the face with a 2x4, but I might opt for blowing money on skydiving, street racing, or some other death-defying thing. Hey, if I die or crash, there would be no consequences.
 
Honestly, I'd rob a bank. No one would remember that I did it so it's the perfect crime! Granted I would have to get out of the bank without getting shot by security, but that's a chance I'm willing to take. I'll be sipping some kind of tropical drink from a coconut in Hawaii with with two superfine hotties by my side. Now that's the life for me!
 
Jonas and i against 2 of our other Friends.....(my two brothers)......in the Main Event at Wrestlemania......No Holds Barred, Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Match......Now that........That's Cool!!!
 
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