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Pledge of Allegiance & Red Skelton
As a schoolboy,
one of Red Skelton's teachers explained the words and meaning of the Pledge
of Allegiance to his class. Skelton later wrote down, and eventually
recorded, his recollection of this lecture.
It is followed by an observation of his own.
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 standard; 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 is a prayer, and that
would be eliminated from schools, too?
--Red Skelton
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