It's always bothered me that we are damn near required to stand up and pledge allegiance to a government which is widely known and mocked for its corruption. Also, that most kids start pledging allegiance before they even know what either of those words mean. So, I'll start this post off with those definitions, as they most relate here.
Pledging, to pledge:
a token, sign, or earnest of something else; the state of being held as a security or guaranty; a binding promise or agreement to do or forbear
Allegiance:
the obligation of a feudal vassal to his liege lord; the fidelity owed by a subject or citizen to a sovereign or government; devotion or loyalty to a person, group, or cause
So basically, you swear loyalty to this flag; to the American Republic, our government; to the idea of one nation, under God, indivisible, which claims "liberty and justice for all." I call bullshit on plenty of that. First off, our government is about as corrupt as they come, right about now. Second of all, liberty and justice-- for all? Tell me how many people pay taxes in this country. Yeah, a lot of them. But think about how many politicians have been caught without paying taxes that the rest of us constantly struggle under, and tell me that's fair. Tell me it's fair that the people who have the most to give away are the ones who get away with the most. Tell me it's fair, with a straight face, that if Congress signs a conscription act, seventeen-year-old kids who can't vote, drink, or call themselves adults, can get sent off to kill or be killed. Liberty? Justice?
Plus, I don't even know how solid I am with this nation at all anymore. So today, I wrote this.
I do not pledge allegiance to this nation which stands by and does nothing in the face of genocide. I do not pledge allegiance to this republic which would see men imprisoned for feeding the hungry. I do not pledge allegiance to this flag which so many believe entitles its bearers to the life which we deny others, based on their language or where they were born. I pledge my life to the starving, the dying, the poor, and the downtrodden across the world; and to a world without poverty, hunger, genocide, I pledge allegiance.
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