The pledge

The pledge of allegiance.

Some bemoan it is not required to be said each day in school, and when I disagree they frown.

The idea of reciting words without understanding what they mean always bothered me.

If we examine the wording, no one is pledging loyalty to the country, but to a piece of cloth. No one would pledge anything say to a Laura Ashley sheet no matter how beautiful. And yes there are the words about the republic for which it stands.

I remember when under God was not a part of the pledge, so does that mean that atheists cannot be loyal citizens?

A recent survey should how few students know much about the government. Even simple things like how Congress is set up.

How they can they pledge anything when they don't know what it is they are pledging themselves to?

They seem to know less about the history of their country. Another survey showed that a frightening percentage could not answer a majority of the questions required to acquire citizenship.

Better that more time be spent on educating people on the history, with both the good and bad things the country has done, how to be a good responsible citizen, how things work in reality as well as the dream of the wonderful theory, then maybe, just maybe, there might be liberty and justice for all.

Then the pledge would no longer be a meaningless mantra.