| Breaking
Down the Pledge |
| This week a friend of mine sent me the following piece about
the Pledge of Allegiance. For those who are too young to remember
the late Red Skelton, he was a comic with a great sense of
patriotism. He was also a wonderful storyteller. |
| Mr. Skelton, on his weekly television program, related this
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. |
| Here is his lesson: |
| "I've been listening to you boys and girls recite the Pledge
of Allegiance all semester," Mr. Laswell said, "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 ä me, an individual, a committee of one. |
| Pledge ä dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without
self-pity. |
|
| Allegiance ä my love and my devotion. |
| To the flag ä 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! |
| Of the United ä that means that we have all come together. |
|
| States of America ä individual communities that have united
into 48 great states. (There were only 48 states when Red
Skelton related this story.) 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 ä 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 ä one nation, meaning so
blessed by God.' |
| Indivisible ä incapable of being divided. |
|
| With liberty ä which is freedom; the right and power to
live one's own life without threats, fear or retaliation. |
| And justice ä the principle or quality of dealing fairly
with others. |
| For all ä which means, boys and girls, it's as much your
country as it is mine. |
| Red Skelton commented that since he was a small boy, two
states had been added to America and two words had been added
to the Pledge of Allegiance: "Under God." |
| "Wouldn't it be a pity," Mr. Skelton said, "if someone said
that the addition makes it a prayer and would eliminate the
Pledge of Allegiance from schools?" |
| By the way of history, the original Pledge of Allegiance
was written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy (1855-1931), a Baptist
minister. |
| His original pledge went like this: "I pledge allegiance
to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." |
| I particularly was struck by the explanation of "Liberty
ä which is freedom; the right and power to live one's own
life without threats, fear or retaliation." |
| We are in a trying time when our liberty is being sorely
challenged. But I take solace in the words of Henry Kissinger,
who said this week that, "We shall prevail. It will take time,
but we shall prevail." |
| History Lesson |
| No sooner had I returned home last Friday after work when
my phone rang. The caller, an older friend of mine who knows
much about history, was ranting and raving that I knew nothing
about history. |
| He was referring to last week's Our Town column, in which
I said that President Franklin Roosevelt, after the attack
on Pearl Harbor, said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." |
| I was wrong, it turns out. Roosevelt said that famous phrase
during his first inaugural speech, referring to the Great
Depression. I had always "assumed" that Roosevelt had been
referring to Pearl Harbor. But then, we all know what "assume"
means. |
| On Monday, when I returned to work, this e-mail greeted
me: |
| "In the Oct. 12 issue, after the attack on Pearl Harbor,
President Roosevelt called it A day of infamy.' His statement
that, We have nothing to fear but fear itself,' was made
earlier in his presidency in regard to the economic problems
that we call the Depression. Just thought you could use an
oooooooops!'" |
| OK, guys. I get the idea. |
| |
| Investment Strategy |
| If you bought $10,000 worth of Nortel stock one year ago,
it would now be worth $490. |
| If you bought $10,000 worth of Budweiser (the beer, not
the stock) one year ago, drank all the beer, and traded in
the cans for a nickel deposit (a dime in some states), you
would have $790. |
| I think I'll put my money where my mouth is. |
| And that's Our Town this week. |
