I
-- Me; an individual; a committee of one.
Pledge
-- Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without
self-pity.
Allegiance
-- My love and my devotion.
To
the Flag -- Our standards; Old Glory; a symbol
of Freedom; wherever she waves there is respect, because
your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts, Freedom
is everybody's job.
United
-- That means that we have all come together.
States
of America
-- Individual communities that have united into forty-eight
great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride
and dignity and purpose. All divided with imaginary boundaries,
yet united to a common purpose, and that is love for country.
And
to the Republic -- a state in which sovereign
power is invested in representatives chosen by the people
to govern. And government is the people; and it's from the
people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.
For
which it stands One Nation -- meaning, so blessed
by God.
Indivisible
-- Incapable of being divided.
With
Liberty -- Which is Freedom; the right of power
to live one's own life, without threats, fear, or some sort
of retaliation.
And
Justice
-- The principle, or qualities, of dealing fairly with others.
For
all
-- which means, boys and girls, it's as much your country
as it is mine.
"And
now, boys and girls, let me hear you recite the Pledge
of Allegiance:"
"I
pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America,
and to the Republic, for which it stands; one nation, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all."
Since
I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country,
and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance:
Under God. Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said that this
is a prayer, and that it would be eliminated from schools,
too? --Red Skelton
