[QUOTE=magellan01]
I was watching Bill Maher last night and one of the guests (I forget which one) claimed that Obama refuses, or had refused on one occasion, to say the PofA. Is there any truth in this? And does it matter. I doubt that I’d be able to vote for anyone who refuses to pledge allegiance to his own country. But, for now, I am more interested in the factual basis of the claim, if any exists.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, I heard this before and I just don’t believe the story… You know what they say, believe half of what you see and nothing of what you hear…
… unless you have hardcore evidence that is… which doesn’t exist in this case. Obama is getting a bad rap for this and it’s probably not even true.
“I am not now nor have I ever been a member of the Communist Party.”
(aside: "But if I were wanting to do this country any harm, which is what you are really worried about, I wouldn’t think twice about lying while taking this oath. And why pick on Communists, you silly illogical slub?)
Never mine the origin of the above. The logic is the same. If Obama felt no loyalty to the United States, but wanted to be President, he would not think twice about saying the Pledge or crossing his heart during a motorcade or whatever it took.
We were never taught to cross our hearts during the anthem, by the way. I’m a child of the Fifties. During the Pledge, men removed their hats and crossed their hearts with that or we all just crossed our hearts.
It is just a tradition and basically meaningless anyway. Do people really think through what they are saying? Do they have “allegience” to the flag? Ask them what it means. Why do they leave it out in the rain in tatters?
Of course, Obama would recite the Pledge, it was written by a card-carrying socialist as part of a devious scheme to subvert and dilute American vigor!
The rest of us get the government the majority of us deserve. I won’t waver in my loyalty to democracy, but it doesn’t seem to work as well when the citizenry can afford a comfortable apathy.
[QUOTE=Mach Tuck]
How many other countries have a similar pledge to their flag? I seem to recall reading that this practice is not common elsewhere in the world.
Does anyone know?
[/QUOTE]
Canada doesn’t have the equivalent. Nor do we put our hands on our hearts when the national anthem is being played.
[QUOTE=Northern Piper]
Canada doesn’t have the equivalent. Nor do we put our hands on our hearts when the national anthem is being played.
[/QUOTE]
You’re not supposed to put your hand over your heart for the U.S. anthem either. The hand on heart is for the pledge. I have no idea why or when people started doing it during the anthem–probably in some stupid “I’m more patriotic than you” competition–but it’s not part of the ritual.
[QUOTE=magellan01]
I doubt that I’d be able to vote for anyone who refuses to pledge allegiance to his own country.
[/QUOTE]
Doesn’t the fact that one is running for President kind of imply that one feels some sort of allegiance to one’s country? I’m satisfied with an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution (unless that turns out to be a lie, like with Bush).
[QUOTE=Mach Tuck]
How many other countries have a similar pledge to their flag? I seem to recall reading that this practice is not common elsewhere in the world.