After discussing the moment of silence issue with several people, they asked me my opinion on the Pledge of Allegiance in regards to it's constitutionally and if I support it. Well, there is not a simple answer to this question. I will start by saying that I am all for flag recognition, but I do not think that "under God" should be included in this salute. The inclusion of "under God" has an interesting history, as pointed out is this column written for Slate by noted Rutgers University historian David Greenberg. I have always found it interesting that something so revered as the pledge has so much history behind it that is routinely ignored. Personally, I wonder how many conservatives that support the inclusion of "under God" know that the Pledge was written by socialist?
The issue of the constitutionality of the Pledge has been brought to the Supreme Court in the last decade through a notable case from California. The Court ruled 8-0 in favor of the Pledge, but keep in mind that this was a technicality regarding the custody of the student in question. This led deceased Chief Justice William Rehnquist to suggest that the constitutionality of the law be examined in a case that did not mix custody with the rights of the student. I personally find constitutional law to be fascinating, so I apologize if the link to the actual ruling is a cumbersome read. This issue will undoubtedly rear it's head in the future, so I hope this brief background has helped to shed a little light on the subject.
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