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Permalink Reply by Chris G on March 18, 2011 at 8:08pm

The Book: Lies My Teacher Told Me is worth reading. It covers the myth of the Pilgrims being the first settlement and as I recall it said they were chased out of England for being extreme religious fanatics, but that may have been in something else I read. In any event -

St. Augustine Florida was the the first continued settlement, and there is plenty of evidence of other settlements such as L'Anse aux Meadows, and of course a the newer Jamestown Settlement. I think it's important to point out how Manifest Destiny was used to wipe out the buffalo and kill the local inhabitants (Indians). 

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Permalink Reply by Keith Pinster on March 19, 2011 at 2:34pm

Thanks for the referral. I just went and bought it.  :)

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Permalink Reply by Gayle Gordon on March 21, 2011 at 10:20pm

As a Virginian, I can tell you that "we" take offense to the misconception that the New England "pilgrims" were the first immigrants--why do "we" negate" the indigenous population???--to the "new world."  The Jamestown settlement predated it as did those in what is now Florida.  Thanks for pointing that out and for the book referral.

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Permalink Reply by matt.clerke on December 5, 2012 at 11:57pm

I just had a stunning apiphany! What if the motto was supposed to be "In Gold We Trust" and they just missed the "l"? At least that would make more sense than God...

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Permalink Reply by Gallup's Mirror on December 5, 2012 at 3:51am

One day, as a sixth grader, I quietly substituted the word 'Underdog' for 'under God' when I recited the Pledge. My teacher glared at me when she overheard. So I started saying it progressively louder each day with each recitation.

One new kid in the class (who I didn't like at the time) joined me in doing this. Our saying of 'Underdog' quickly surpassed in volume the entire class saying 'under God'. We got detention for three days. Not, according to the principal, for saying Underdog but for disrupting the class. That was 32 years ago. The kid I got detention with is still my closest friend to this day.  

I invite my fellow atheists of all ages: do not sit down and be quiet. Instead, participate in the Pledge every time you hear it, and say 'Underdog'. Or say 'Thunderball' or 'Leprechaun' or anything else you like. Say it that way every time. Make sure others know you say it that way.

You really are the 'underdog' in this situation. So you'll make enemies. But you'll make friends too. 

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Permalink Reply by Kris Feenstra on December 5, 2012 at 4:01am

Good story. Funny how those thibgs work out some times.

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Permalink Reply by Keith Pinster on December 5, 2012 at 9:00pm

That is pretty cool.  I've done similar things, but tend to just say "with liberty" really loud and then pause to let everyone else catch up.  I've managed to get a few dirty looks that way.  hehe

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Permalink Reply by Kris Feenstra on December 6, 2012 at 2:17am

That's actually not a bad idea. If someone gives you a dirty look, you can just turn to them and say, "What? You have some sort of problem with liberty?"

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Permalink Reply by Andrew on December 6, 2012 at 4:45pm

"underdog" is kinda silly, and doesn't really say anything meaningful. I'm sure it was brilliant as a 4th grader, but I'll stick with a silent moment: "One nation....... indivisible with liberty and justice for all"

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Permalink Reply by Andrew on December 6, 2012 at 4:46pm

i suppose if you wanted to be satirical you could say "one nation under Allah..." That would certainly rustle some jimmies.

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Permalink Reply by Kairan Nierde on December 5, 2012 at 10:46am

It's sure become an ingrained civic tradition.  I like the pledge, I think it's good for maintaining patriotism and popular unity.  I'd love to see 'under God' scrapped, so that the pledge is in line with separation of church and state.  Government traditions which validate the enmeshment of church and state are dangerous and unconstitutional. 

 

On a side note, I went to Catholic school for a couple years.  Each morning we said 'the Our Father' and then the pledge.  I swear I thought the pledge was another prayer for years!  Even now when I say the pledge, I sometimes feel like tacking on some gobble-de-gook about Jesus ascending to heaven and being seated at the right hand of the father.  Now mixing my prayers up too.  :D   :-)    :-l    :-(    : [

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Permalink Reply by Andrew on December 6, 2012 at 4:53pm

"I swear I thought the pledge was another prayer"

isn't it? it's a prayer to the United States (rather than God). Recital is required, for brainwashing purposes (there's a reason people are so over-the-top patriotic instead of being open-minded; it's because the US Govt forced young moldable minds to recite the pledge every day of their lives). 

There's a wonderful WKUK sketch about it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=618U-_8o31k

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