by Red Skelton
January 14, 1969
[The
following words were spoken by the late Red Skelton on his television program
as he related the 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.]
Click Here for
original and audio rendition.
I've been listening to you boys and girls recite
the Pledge of Allegiance all semester 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?
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I |
me, an individual, a committee of one |
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Pledge |
dedicate all of my worldly goods to give
without self pity |
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Allegiance |
my love and my devotion |
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To the Flag |
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 is everybody's job |
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United |
that means that we have all come together |
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States |
individual communities that have united into
48 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's love for country |
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And to the Republic for which it stands |
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 |
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One nation |
one nation, meaning "so blessed by God" |
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Indivisible |
incapable of being divided |
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With Liberty |
which is freedom -- the right of power to live
one's own life without threats, fear or some sort of retaliation |
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And Justice |
the principle or quality of dealing fairly
with others |
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For All |
which means, boys and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine |
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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?