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I think nationality and patriotism can be a good thing... the 'Pleadge of Allegience" been going down in one form or another since before Teddy Roosevelt's term as president - and America's gone through some good times since then. Of course, it's also gone through some bad times.
God knows our children are going to need to have a feeling of pride in their country in order to help us fix what been broken as of late without just going... "meh... fuck it" and leaving the country.
I do feel that the words "Under God" should be taken out of it, at least. That lil' phrase - inserted in the 1950's, really has no place in it. Separation of Church and State, and all.
Does the whole thing need to stay or go? I dunno. As many of my fellow Americans have proven in recent days, blind patriotism can also be a very very bad thing. We need to teach kids to think and question as well as salute.
Regardless, I don't think expelling the practice all together is realistic at present - as an argument convincing to school boards and American Legion members and ROTC groups and just about every flag-saluting member of the country - or at least our courts - would need to accompany the request, and so long as the pledge is not a _requirement_ of our youth (which it isn't, under First Amendment protections), I'm not sure such an argument exists.
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-D.
ICQ: 202-96-31
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