Pledge of Obedience

I read an article online that a junior high school in Dilworth, Minnesota suspended three students for refusing to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the American Flag. Suspended! I'm shocked. This is something I'd expect in the South, not in a Midwestern state. When I attended high school in Georgia, after receiving assurances from my favourite teacher (an atheist who always had his planning period assigned during the part of the day when the pledge was broadcasted on the P.A. system) that I wouldn't get into trouble for refusing to stand and recite the pledge, I committed myself to my principled "stand" (er, since I didn't stand up, does that mean, my principled "sit"?). I was criticized by other students, who called me unpatriotic, communist, and other names. But still I sat and never did the teacher of my second period class make me stand in conformity with others.

Never was I questioned by the teacher for my refusal to stand. When a student asked the teacher why I wasn't standing, she actually told her that I was a Jehovah's Witness! I don't know where she got that idea, for I never spoke about my religious beliefs, but I suppose that she only assumed that I was because that is what Jehovah's Witnesses are known for (along with their not observing birthdays, Christmas, or Easter). It's the only thing I actually agree with Jehovah's Witness on.

In 2002, if I remember correctly, the pastor of the Atlanta North congregation that I attended had everyone stand up to recite the pledge during the actual church service on that Fourth of July Sunday. Since I didn't want to "offend" my fellow church members, I stood but didn't put my hand over my heart or recite the pledge. I even complained afterwards to the appropriate people because in all my years as a member of this church community, having been to many different congregations, World Conference, reunions, retreats, and Peace Colloquys...never have I seen this done. That people go along with it like the sheeple they are is disturbing to me, yet I'm made out to be the disobedient, unpatriotic bad guy. And I'm meant to feel bad about my lack of conformity.

In my current job, I've taken to come late to the monthly staff meetings so I can avoid the pledge part. I was even shocked that they do this ritual at the Democratic meetings I've attended this year (though I found it hilarious that the volume dropped during the "under God" part). In fact, in high school, my favourite teacher was an atheist who refused to say the pledge of allegiance because of the "under God" part. When I asked if he would've recited the pledge if they didn't have that clause in there, he said, "of course!" I was actually disappointed when he said that. I thought his stance was more noble than it really was. His refusal was based on his not believing in a deity. My stance is based on a more principled stand. Thus I'm thrilled that those three junior high students in Minnesota refused to stand.

Here's why I believe that my view regarding the pledge is right and everyone who conforms to it is wrong:

My stand against the pledge started when I realized people around me were unenthusiastic about standing up for it each morning. And when they recited it, there was a lack of passion or conviction in their voices. I also saw hands limply rest over the heart. It was a ritual without meaning. Rituals without meaning should cause us to question the necessity of it. What is the point of forcing people to recite a pledge that they lack conviction to say? When it becomes a pointless ritual, why bother with it at all?

After that realization, I read the pledge for myself to see if I agree with it, and when I thought about what I was required to say, I was surprised by how much I disagreed with it. Why? Because we are being asked to pledge our allegiance to a FLAG! A material object. A piece of cloth. One that is more and more often made in some sweatshop in China by exploited and under educated village women. Pledging allegiance to a material object is a form of idolatry, which many spiritual/religious belief systems make clear that it's wrong. It's even one of the ten commandments that some people want displayed in schools all over the country. What does it mean to pledge allegiance to a piece of cloth? It means nothing. I know, I know...a lot of people like to claim that "people died for that flag." Um...wrong! People die in war because they are pawns of cowardly politicians who avoided war themselves and believe that force is more powerful than diplomacy. War is a battle of wills between ideologues (both neo-cons with their fundamentalist supporters in the U.S. and the fundamentalist Muslims with their cowardly and exploitative backers).

My second objection in the wording is that we are not a nation "under God" but a nation divided by God as various religious groups want the government to favour their religion over another. We've seen recently the evangelical's fear and strong dislike of Mormons. Other evangelicals have said equally bad things about atheists, Catholics, Jews, New Age spiritualists, and other minority religions. Another point...if we truly are "one nation under God", then why does our government prop up dictators in other countries that have brutally oppressed their peoples? Why have we waged unnecessary war on innocent people just because a priceless commodity exists under their feet, which we need to sustain our lavish and materialistic lives? Honestly, are we comfortable facing God one day with the knowledge that we truly believed in our hearts that we are a nation that is truly "under God"? To me, thinking like that is blasphemy.

Another objection is the closing line "with liberty and justice for all." We've seen time and again that justice and liberty are a joke in this country that is becoming more and more an oligarchy rather than a republic. We've seen injustice happen when the cops who beat up Rodney King were aquitted in 1992. We've seen injustice happen when O.J. Simpson was found not guilty for murdering two people in 1994. We've seen injustice when African American votes were denied in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004. We've seen injustice when one president is impeached for lying about a sexual affair while his successor continues to lie without punishment or accountability, as more and more people die overseas because of one of his major lies. Where is the justice? I cannot in good conscience pledge allegiance to the flag or country when that line continues to be nothing but a lie.

Furthermore, in all honesty, I only pledge allegiance to two things: my conscience and God. I don't pledge allegiance to people or country or a material object. To do so is idolatry. God is the only one we need to pledge allegiance to, because God is eternal and perfect. But even then, the pledge doesn't have to be a public display, for Jesus advised people to pray to God in secret. He wanted people to know that often, the most public displays of religiosity are often hypocritical and false. A faith that is deep doesn't need other's blessing, approval, or knowledge. We've had countless examples of people who make a public show of religion or of American values, before being exposed as a sham. We should be wise about that.

Most of all, though, my biggest objection to the enforced conformity of the pledge of allegiance to the American flag is due to the fact that we claim to be a country that values freedom. What does freedom mean? It means that people should be free to not show superficial displays of religiosity or patriotism. It means that a politician like Obama shouldn't be pestered for not conforming to the shallow practice of wearing a flag lapel pin or saying the pledge. If it takes that gesture to signal to people that they are "patriotic" enough to be president, then that's what got our country into trouble in the first place. A famous quote we should all tattoo on our arm is: "patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel." Too many Americans have fallen for the empty gesture of displays while ignoring the deeper truth of action. Bush's presidency has shown nothing but contempt for American values (he famously said of the U.S. Constitution: "it's just a goddamn piece of paper!") and yet he wears an American flag lapel pin. He avoided serving in war as a young man, yet smeared the war records of three veterans who ran against him. He saw no problem sending the nation's military into two quagmire wars while cutting veteran's services when they returned home with massive injuries.

What I wish most Americans would learn about the ridiculous nature of the pledge of allegiance is that we see these conformist acts in nations we don't admire: Nazi Germany, the Soviet Union, and other communist countries. We claim to be better than those places, yet we have a lot in common with them when we force a superficial nationalism on people and make issues of the pledge of allegiance if you refuse on principle to stand and recite it. Freedom means that we don't have to participate in these shallow acts. It doesn't make us any less patriotic (I often wonder when people accuse me of lack of patriotism, how many states have they been to? How many national historic sites have they visited? Chances are, I've done more than they have so does that make me more authentically patriotic?).

Below are photos I found online in a Google image search of other nation's display of nationalism. And I ask you...how is America different from the countries we once claimed as our bitter enemies? All of them enforced a sort of flag worship on their conforming citizens. We should be proud that there are individuals in our country who refuse to conform to the masses that follow direction like the sheeple they are. It gives me great hope in our country when I see people act from their own consciences to refuse to go along with the crowd just because we're expected to. It's what makes our country great.

No nation worshipped symbols and flags more than Nazi Germany

A stamp honouring the Young Pioneers and their patriotism to the Soviet Union

A mural showing Young Pioneers saluting Soviet symbols like Lenin and the Red Star

I can't tell if these are Chinese or North Korean kids, but the principle is just the same...worship of nationalistic symbols by indoctrinated children

Young Pioneers saluting a bust of Josef Stalin

American kids doing a Hitler salute to the American flag. Not sure when this photo was taken, but I assume before the 1930s

Hitler Youth saluting their beloved leader Adolf Hitler

Our beloved leader giving his own Nazi salute in front of American flags (who says the Nazis are more obsessed with symbol and flag worship?)

Conservatives riled that Obama refuses to put his hand over his heart during the pledge don't seem to have a problem with their beloved leader putting his hand over his gut during the pledge. Why is one unacceptable and the other okay? Oh...because when it comes to a consistent standard, they don't have one. Bush can do no wrong, Democrats can do nothing right. That's why Bush has been a disaster as president, because he was held to the lowest standard of all presidents.

When I was in the Navy, many criticized Clinton for the way he saluted military members because they saw it as a lack of respect. Well, why doesn't this photo anger them? The salute is so pathetic Bush shouldn't have bothered. After all, he had Barney in his arms...but again, it's the double standard. Bush's lack of respect to render the proper military salute gets a pass, while Clinton was held to a higher standard.

I saw this in an online store where you can show your patriotism in all kinds of ways by wearing the American flag as a shirt, a pair of pants, a hat, or even this...BOXERS with the Pledge of Allegiance printed on it!!! If nothing spells out the whole lunacy of the pledge, it is this pair of boxer shorts. It's funny when people talk about having reverence for the flag and the people who "died for it", yet they don't object to American flag underwear or that the flag is often used to sell cars (go by any used car lot in America) and other shoddy products.

Let's get real, folks. Worship God if you must, not the American flag. And don't be surprised if less and less Americans stand up for the pledge next to you. I have a feeling that nationalism is on the outs in the new Millennial Generation of Americans. It's about time too. Americans need to join with the European Union in the idea of trans-nationalism to a new globalism where trivial issues are less important than sustainability issues that concern the entire planet.