Explaining the Pledge...

I don't remember what year it was, but my sister had a class requirement of memorizing the poem that is immortalized on the Statue of Liberty. I still remember the main part, or, the part that most people can quote. Most don't know that it is a sonnet, "The New Colossus", written by American poet Emma Lazarus.

"Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Most folks tend to remember the last section:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" 

And over 12 millions immigrants would come to this country, flowing through Ellis Island. Looking for that new start. That new beginning. They were here, to be Americans.

This week we celebrate the 4th of July. Independence Day. The celebration of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776. The day 13 American Colonies declared themselves a new nation, independent of Britain

One of the things I remember doing most of my school life was standing and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Did you know it was written by a socialist minister, Francis Bellamy? Over the years, there are a lot of traditions that have gone by the wayside. Many traditions are being outlawed because someone is offended. Looking back over my life, I realize that there was value in so many things that are being discontinued, or banned, and maybe this is the reason our country is headed in the direction it is now headed.

I've made it a point to post a specific video on national holidays. Independence Day. Memorial Day. Veterans Day. It's a video of Red Skelton reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Not just reciting, but explaining the words as explained to him by a teacher. Below is the transcript of that video.

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 - - 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 - - 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 stand 

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 qualities, of dealing fairly with others. 

For All - - 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 

Maybe for this year, you could do something different. Start your day by reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and do something you may have never done. Read our Declaration of Independence. It includes words to live by.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Have a safe holiday. And God Bless America.