Norbizness nicely sums up the bullshit surrounding the Pledge:
Remember, the inclusion of 'Under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance is simply ceremonial deism and non-coercive civic cohesion. On the other hand, if we remove it, fucking hurricanes will hit Nebraska and locusts will swarm New England as God removes his divine protection from us.
(Glove-taker-offer cracks a smile.) Well said. I'm sick and tired of hearing the "its a non-issue" folks talking out of both sides of their mouth. If its such a fucking non-issue then take it out. It was, after all, added decades AFTER the pledge had been written during a spurt of religion and government mixing by the Eisenhower Administration and Congress:
Hand in hand with the Red Scare, to which it was inextricably linked, the new religiosity overran Washington. Politicians outbid one another to prove their piety. President Eisenhower inaugurated that Washington staple: the prayer breakfast. Congress created a prayer room in the Capitol. In 1955, with Ike's support, Congress added the words "In God We Trust" on all paper money. In 1956 it made the same four words the nation's official motto, replacing "E Pluribus Unum." Legislators introduced Constitutional amendments to state that Americans obeyed "the authority and law of Jesus Christ."
It isn't a "non-issue". Its a coercive declaration of religious belief in the middle of loyalty oath authored by a socialist.
The beauty of this rapidly degenerating system of government is that you are free to believe what you like, and so am I. The line should be drawn, however, at the coercive use of government force to mandate such beliefs in the form of loyalty oaths written by long-dead socialists. The government of a free nation has no business forcing socialist loyalty oaths and declarations of religious belief on its children.
I never thought I'd see the day when so many conservatives would be not only supporting this socialist loyalty oath business, but actually demonizing those who oppose it. But then, I also never thought I'd see the same conservatives who called Clinton a draft-dodger do a 180 and make excuse after excuse for a president who avoided his turn in the battle by hiding out and wasting our money as a pilot in a non-flight status in the frigging National Guard. So what do I know?