Revisiting the Pledge of Allegiance
On this day in 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance. For most of us, the Pledge was part of the daily school ritual. But today, schools across the country either modify the Pledge to remove “potentially offensive” words or ban the recitation all together.
Instead of writing about the Pledge, I recently came across this article by iconic entertainer, Red Skelton, which sums it up so nicely.
Commentary on the Pledge of Allegiance
by Red Skelton
As a schoolboy, one of Red Skelton’s teachers explained the words and meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance to his class. Skelton later wrote down, and eventually recorded, his recollection of this lecture. It is followed by an observation of his own.
I - – Me; an individual; a committee of one.
Pledge - – Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.
Allegiance - – My love and my devotion.
To the Flag - – Our standard; Old Glory ; a symbol of Freedom; wherever she waves there is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts, Freedom is everybody’s job.
United - – That means that we have all come together.
States - – Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose. All divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that is love for country.
And to the Republic - – Republic–a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people; and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.
For which it stands
One Nation - – One Nation–meaning, so blessed by God.
Indivisible - – Incapable of being divided.
With Liberty - – Which is Freedom; the right of power to live one’s own life, without threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation.
And Justice - – The principle, or qualities, of dealing fairly with others.
For All - – For All–which means, boys and girls, it’s as much your country as it is mine.
And now, boys and girls, let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance:
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands; one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: Under God. Wouldn’t it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer, and that would be eliminated from schools, too?
Red Skelton
Alexandrea Merrell is an author, conservative commentator, and radio personality. Merrell, who holds a Masters Degree in Television and Film Production, has spent much of her career writing and producing non-fiction projects about criminal justice reform, civil rights, First Amendment Limitations, social issues, politics, and business as well as works of fiction.
While writing about the ethical and legal irregularities in the 2008 Presidential campaign, Merrell noticed Obama and his wife’s continued reference to domestic terrorist Saul Alinsky. This lead Merrell to research the links between Alinsky’s organization and Obama, culminating in her book, “Rules For Republican Radicals” which dissects the tactics and techniques used by Team Obama to manipulate the media and voters.
Merrell’s forthcoming political book, “Civics: What you forgot or were never taught about your political power” will hit bookstores this spring. She currently writes for numerous online and print media, is a popular speaker at political events and hosts “The Alexandrea Merrell Show” on BTR and terrestrial radio stations. She also continues to write both fiction and factual pieces for print media and produce projects for film and television.
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Revisiting the Pledge of Allegiance
Dear Alexandrea Merrell,
The commentary on the Pledge of Allegiance is very interesting to me because, I’ll admit, I’ve just been saying the words without actually knowing what I’m saying. That being said, I am extremely worried about what Red Skeleton says at the end of his commentary; that the pledge may just be eliminated from schools as well. I am so glad that you found this commentary because it shows how sensitive people could be. Just because the pledge says “Under God” it could be banned for being considered a prayer. I think people need to relax. If they don’t want to say “under god” then don’t! The pledge shouldn’t be banned just because people analyze things too closely. The fact of the matter is, the pledge is just a way for people to unite together and feel proud about the country that they worked so hard to make successful, that’s all.
Thank You!
Rebecca Morel
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