. . . of the United States of America, and to the republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
I quoted that from memory even though I haven't said those actual words since I was in school. If you're my age, you probably have it memorized, too. I checked to see if kids are still required to say it every morning in school, and most states do require it. Some have it play over the speaker, and the kids can choose to say it or not. But for the most part, a lot of kids still have to say it.
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| Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more. |
I'm going to skip pondering what the definition of "all" is for the moment. I'm thinking more of the people who think of America as the land of the free, where we don't have a ruler who dictates our beliefs to us, and we don't have government officials brainwashing us with propaganda.
And yet here's the Pledge of Allegiance.
With most pledges, you only have to say it once, and you're done, right? When the president, for example, is sworn into office, he doesn't have to do that every day. He just does that once. And yet here, where we supposedly have no propaganda for our own citizens, we had to recite this every day we were in class as children.
Do you know how brainwashing works? Repetition is a key ingredient.
It's how politicians get away with blatant lies. Keep telling the lie, and it will eventually stick. That's what Trump and his bootlickers and sycophants are banking on with their lies about what's going on in Iran. More importantly, though, is his attempt at controlling his legacy.
Journalism is the first draft of history, as the saying goes. It *is* where we get most primary accounts from, aside from the journals of those involved, so controlling that first draft is essential to making sure you're remembered not just fondly but with beatific reverence.
It's impossible to escape propaganda. Every country does it, and we're no exception. But we should at least try not to be influenced by such things. What happens to people who are constantly high on their own supply?
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| Words of wisdom, Linus. Words of wisdom. |
A good start would probably be dispensing with the need for a Pledge of Allegiance. Is that even binding? I imagine not. If you can't sign a contract when you're underage, you shouldn't have to make pledges like this until you're old enough to understand it. I get the thinking. You gotta get 'em when they're young and impressionable.
Which is possibly a thought Jeffrey Epstein had on more than one occasion. Do we really want to equate our methods with his?
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