[Strangler Lewis]

The whole breathing pattern changes if you leave out "under God." It's very uncomfortable. I don't know how people managed before it was put in.

Obviously, "under God" doesn't belong in the pledge or "God Save The Queen" or any of it. And "My Country 'Tis Of Thee" is full of pathetic fallacies because a country isn't a person and freedom can't ring.

If somebody wants to stand politely and not say some or all of the pledge, I'd have no problem with it. But if, say, I had a high school kid who wanted to make a big show of sitting down or turning his back during the pledge because America is, like, fascist, I would not beam with pride over that, except that it would give me an excuse to cut off all car contributions because Gandhi would walk.

Still, that is why we should have things like the pledge in school: to give kids to think about and overreact against so that they can eventually find their way towards the sacred, imaginary middle.