The following
words were spoken by the late Red Skelton
on his television
program as he related the story of his teacher,
Mr. Laswell,
who felt his students had come to think of the
Pledge of
Allegiance
as merely
something to recite in class each day.
Now,
more than ever, listen to the meaning of these words.
"I've been listening to you boys and girls
recite the
Pledge of Allegiance all semester
and it seems
as though it is becoming monotonous to you.
If I may,
may I recite it and try to explain to you
the meaning
of each word?"
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's 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 --
individual
communities that have united into 48 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's
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 --
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 quality of dealing fairly with others.
For All -- which means, boys and girls,
it's as much
your country as it is mine.
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?
God Bless America!
Fireworks effect
from the wonderfully
creative mind
of Kurt Grigg.
You can check
out all of his Java Script here:
http://website.lineone.net/~kurt.grigg/javascript/
A special
thank you to all the members of the Armed Forces
who have
left their loved ones behind
to defend
this wonderful country.
May God
bless you all and keep you safe!
