Like other students in my own all-White elementary and junior high schools during the 1950s and early '60s we had the same early morning rituals of reciting the Pledge as well as the Lord's Prayer. That's just the way it was and no one thought to object.The Pledge of Allegiance
The once widely recited Pledge of Allegiance is another example of bunting patriotism. The Republic for which the flag stood came in second: “I pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands . . .”
In the twentieth century schoolchildren across America stood every morning with their right hands over their hearts and recited the Pledge in unison before lessons began.
I did it myself through elementary school. Like some others I also led the Pledge for a week, reciting it to the entire school over the intercom in the principal’s office. The Pledge was simultaneously piped into every classroom via loudspeakers as all students in the building stood and faced the flag at the front of the room to recite the words.
I still respected and pleged allegiance to the American flag when I joined the mulitary in 1966, just before graduation from high school. But as an adult I got smarter, more independent-minded and thought for myself. This incident indicates my attitude about three years ago after being invited to my town's local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) monthly gathering, since I'd been a veteran of a foreign war: "An Experience with the VFW" at nationalvanguard.org
... Skip forward a couple of months and I was free to attend another monthly VFW gathering and another buffet. There were 21 veterans of foreign wars in attendance; their wives met separately on the other side of the hall. I was not there to politicize their gathering, but to observe, and saw that every attendee was a White man. I had not officially joined the group, but had provided a copy of my DD214 — the single-page document that shows when and where a soldier served, his training, promotions, and dates of rank, awards, etc. they had asked for to prove I was a veteran of a foreign war. I figured that was the only requirement for a group calling itself the VFW.
After the meal and after the hat had been passed around the long table for donations, the first official business was to stand and salute the American flag — once to the one in the center of the hall, along with the women; then, after the wives were excused, again to another flag in the partitioned room with the vets. Out of respect for the attendees I stood, but neither saluted or put my hand over my heart, nor mouthed the familiar Pledge of Allegiance. Following the second ritual pledge the leader of the group led everyone in reciting the familiar Lord’s Prayer. I remained standing, but did not bow my head and close my eyes. Instead, I was looking around the room to see if anyone else had his eyes open and was not reciting the prayer. My eyes met another SF vet’s eyes which was encouraging. Everyone else had their eyes shut, heads bowed, reciting the prayer.
I think someone must have told the old fellow at the head of the table who officiated that I hadn’t saluted the flag at that earlier meeting I’d attended — or perhaps he was told that I headed National Alliance, and “Googled” us to find the WikiJews’ scary description — because as soon at the prayer was concluded and we had taken our seats, he announced: “I want to make clear that anyone here who does not salute our flag is not welcome.” Everyone except me had saluted the flag, so my hand shot up with, “I did not salute the flag.” Someone asked, “Why?”
I answered loud and clear, verbatim: “Because this country has turned to sh__ and that flag represents the country.”...
Read more about that incident at the link above.
My allegiance is now pledged to this flag, not to the American one:
