Inspired
by recient events, Kira Schiavone writes about how Pledge of Allegiance
isn’t so much about the battle over “Church and State,” but is about
herritage and culture…
Cries of the Vintage Warrior
"The Pledge and the Promise"
- Opinion by Kira Schiavone-
September 22nd, 2005
All this fuss about the Pledge of Allegiance is silly, in my opinion.
But then, that much could probably be surmised from my “Bending Over
Backwards” column a few months ago, which I advise you to read if you
haven’t already. It provides a more thorough grounding in the political
correctness overkill in schools than I plan to do here.
The words “under God” have been in the Pledge for as long as I can
remember, and I see no reason to change it now. Indeed, the rhythm
would be thrown off for me if I were to omit the phrase. My solution is
simple: if you don’t like it, then don’t say it. No one is forcing you
to say all the words, or even to say the Pledge at all. But then, I’m
also a longtime Girl Scout.
Actually, the Girl Scouts have taken a far more sensible route about a
very similar issue than the government has- the Girl Scout Promise
contains the phrase “to serve God,” and I have yet to see anyone making
a fuss about that. But it is also taught to us from the moment we are
old enough to understand, and it is in our handbook, that you can
substitute the name of any deity you so choose or just omit the part
altogether. (For example, a Muslim could say “under Allah,” or an
atheist could just skip over that part.)
Now, you might say that the Christians comprise such a majority that
only the numbers show that many people are not offended by this. And it
wouldn’t be true. I’ve just written a column- admittedly, a short one-
on the subject, and I am not a Christian. But I am open-minded, as
everyone I know has been taught to be. This debate is shocking to
everyone I grew up knowing. And well it should be. We are, once again,
so striving to be politically correct that we are stepping on our own
Constitution. I affirm my right to be politically incorrect just by
writing this piece.
After all, I am an American.
Kira Schiavone is a high school student who's working on becoming a
professional writer, and enjoys reading and writing rants for the
Fedora Chronicles.
Read Kira's Previous Articles...
