I can't tell you how pointed that is to me right now.
Less than twelve hours ago, while at our local school board meeting, I asked about the habit our public high school has regarding the pledge of allegiance.
The morning announcements over the intercom are concluded with; "We will now say the pledge ... I pledge allegianc to the flag ... " ... and the voice drops off.
The kids are left to decide for themselves whether they want to pledge or not, stand, hand over heart ... whatever .... it is all an elective.
The solicitor put me in my place, exasperated at my question, by telling me "This has all been resolved many times over the years, etc., blah blah blah"
So I went home and did some research.
Way back in 1943 ... not long before the United States entered WW2 (interesting timing for the subject) The Pledge of Allegiance to The Flag was brought before the Supreme Court and it was adjudicated to be unConstitutional to force a child to pledge and a violation of a student's 1st and 14th amendment rights to punish that child for refusing to pledge.
Folks, I'm gonn'a be 70 in February and I have NEVER in my life heard a whisper about this.
I'm willing to guess most FReepers here are in the same boat with me. None of us ever knew anything except to Pledge allegiance every morning in school.
It ....... just ......... was what it was.
I woke up early this morning with the exact same thought pattern Charlie articulates here ....
"I really don’t know. I have come to find out I seem to know very little about the world anymore. It’s a different world than what I grew up in. I used to be able to gauge people, especially when it came to patriotic things — but I really can’t anymore."
This piece was well worth the time it took to read it.
Charlie is well spoken and touches subjects of which most of us his age are concerned with. Lord willing the youngsters of today will evolve to hunger for the same answers he sought for himself between the covers of a Bible.