I was raised by peace marching hippy types, so it did bother me. We were raised to question the government and not be knee jerk patriots. Also, there was a song we would sing afterwards and it had the line “oh, flag, take care of us and we’ll take care of you”. My dad was wild over that one because how can a flag take care of you. Plus, I didn’t care for the God reference in the pledge or some of the other songs. My parents were seminary students when I was in the lower grades but I was never into assuming there was a God. Plus, that My Country 'Tis of Thee song bothered me because I had to say, in my head, “and ring and ring” at the end and it became a bit of an obsession.
In my senior year, my class used to take turns, with one person saying the pledge for everyone else in the class. This worked until the week that we had a substitute teacher who called our fundamentalist assistant principal. About fifteen kids and he had a showdown in his office which really went nowhere, then the teacher came back and we were back to having a “proxy pledger” within a month.
Honestly though, I never really cared one way or another about the pledge. I think we have a responsibility to our nation, but a few nice words to a flag won’t matter one way or another.
I can understand problems for non-citizens, the “under God” phrase, or legitimate religious objection. Other than that, I don’t see any problem at all.
I’m definitely a patriotic guy in the sense of loving America and the principles it stands for. But I never said the Pledge of Allegiance after age 10 or so. Pledging allegiance to the state seems more appropriate for North Korea.
Yes, that is exactly what I meant by “creepy.” It just seems like something akin to brainwashing; I don’t how how else to describe it.
Some battles are worth fighting and some aren’t. Stirring up crap with Mrs. Dobbins by going all Atheist on her over the pledge wasn’t going to do anybody any good. Whether I said it or didn’t say it, I was still going to be an atheist and she was still going to be a sweet, well-meaning old teacher who had no time for rebellious whipper-snappers. I decided the best course of action was to chill-out and save a little stress on the old girl’s heart. I never felt less of a person for it and I got an ‘A’ on my Native American project unlike that malcontent heathen, Billy Snow (name slightly changed to protect the idealist.) 
Jammer
I said it every day before school, I never had a problem with it, and I still don’t.
Even – shock! – the “under God” part! I must be a blind, unthinking, fundamentalist jingoistic nutcase!
It never bothered me to say it and I don’t think it’s a big deal that children across the country still say it, but I agree that there is something a bit…odd about requiring our children to stand and chant in unison their love of our free country.