The Pledge of Allegiance

The birth of the Pledge of Allegiance, via Ted Compton.

I have NEVER said those words when making the Pledge of Allegiance. It was an affront to Americans and a slap in the face to the founding fathers.

Were I ever elected to Congress or the Presidency (capitalized because I respect the office if not the current holder of same).

Sorry, just went on a laughing jag I thought I might not recover from.

To pick up the thread...to Congress or the Presidency... I would immediately begin a campaign to eliminate "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance and remove any mention of any deity from US currency.

BTW: There are many examples of "In God We Trust" on US currency.

A germ of an idea

Update: Had to change the title. I didn't mean a "gem" of an idea, but a "germ" of an idea. Funny how one little letter can change the meaning.

Take this for what its worth, but join me if you can.

Even though blogging is a PITA (pain in the ass) I'm thinking of starting a new site, but I'll need tons of help.

I would call it ROAR for Return Our American Republic.

The premise is to catalogue all the actions of the Bush administration which have eroded or destroyed what America is. Lately its the DOJ turning what is supposed to be a non-partisan court system into an arm of the GOP.

Before that it was torture, pre-emptive attacks, secret prisons, disappearing people, imperialism, ignoring laws, trashing the Constitution...

We need a place where Americans and law-makers can get a list of the "corrections" necessary to make America whole.

Its just a thought now, but something I feel is necessary. However, I can't do it alone. Mostly because I'm too lazy.

I'm reaching out to bloggers who have a hell of a lot more clout than do I.

It won't be fancy. Just entries to document Bush's atrocious assault on the "American way". Anyone from any country is free to add to the list.

If you're not interested, I understand.

It may not happen, but I hope it will.

support the troops, diss a hippie

our buddy allison of blah3 forwarded us a link to this blog, which is extolling all americans to party hearty on july 7 (lucky number 7-7-07), to prove to the troops that america is behind them and their mission:

You can tell by the lack of capital letters, this isn't my doing, but hey, this post isn't as easy as it looks.

(via skippy)

Ready for your closeup?

America the movie

Is it only me or does it seem Americans are living in a Hollywood movie?

Start with 911.

Oooh! Everyone is scared.

But not to worry.

Enter the hero on a white horse, George W, to save us all.

George W attacks Afghanistan and then Iraq. He announces “mission accomplished” and the Taleban has been vanquished and the audience (Americans) relax.

Saddam Hussein is captured and the evil is under control.

More relaxation for the audience.

Ah, but the mission isn’t quite accomplished. The insurgents appear. Oh no, so does the Taleban.

No problem. John Wayne Bush is in control.

The audience goes for snacks.

But the insurgents seem to know how to blow up people and, more importantly, know how to blow fucking US helicopters out of the sky. Ouch!

What did I miss? Oh fucking hell! It might have been the best scene.

Then our forces capture number 2 or 3 or whatever of the al-Qaeda organization.

The audience issues a sigh of relief.

But we can’t trust what the “leader” says.

More tension for the audience.

This thing will never end while Bushco is in charge.

I know I’m missing many subtle sub-plots and nuances. I’m not a screen writer.

Why does SPIIDERWEB™ hate America?

Where we enter the world of reality. Go over to Once Upon a Time... Take a look at that site.

At university I roomed with a guy who majored in History. I avoided History as much as Chem, but learned much from him. He said most of the history I'd learned in school was wrong. Most of the "ugliness", especially concerning the US, had been expunged.

So I've never since viewed the US through rose colored glasses. I do, however, envision the US through rose colored glasses. I envision it as it should be. Unfortunately I'm too often disappointed. That's the main reason I hate Bush and his thugs. They've perverted US ideals more than I imagined possible.

The US is not god's gift to mankind. The US is god's promise to mankind. What you do with that promise is the ol' "free will" thingie.

To walk with dignity and confidence is fine. Brush aside the odd skeleton or two and the US and its people have much to be proud of. To walk with the arrogance that the US can do no wrong is ludicrous.

Ok, off my soap box now. I'll go quietly. No need for the straight jacket.

H/T A Tiny Revolution.

Must Read IMHO

An expansion on something I've posted about, done very well.

But take whichever descriptive transformation you prefer, for it makes little difference. Whether we're now a military empire that almost exclusively benefits the domestic rich, or a self-perpetuating playground for the wealthy backed by an overstretching military-industrial complex, the nut of it all is this: The nobler America we once knew is gone -- and possibly forever.

(read more)