pledge
i will not pledge allegiance to the flag. i will not pledge allegiance to a cross. or to any other symbol. no matter how powerful or significant. i am not a mindless moron. i will not recite by rote words i memorized long before i could possibly understand them. doing so robs them of meaning. i will not pledge allegiance to a country under god. not even a country under *my* god. this country is run by the people, for the people, and is of the people. *people* are governed by the god of their choosing. i will pledge allegiance. daily, if required. but will no longer babble that claptrap. i pledge allegiance to my family, to my school, to god, and to my country, the united states of america, one nation, an indivisible republic, with liberty and justice for all.