Pause for the Pledge Day 2024 is on Friday, June 14, 2024: Countries pledge allegiance to their flag?

Friday, June 14, 2024 is Pause for the Pledge Day 2024. Pause for the Pledge of Allegiance, The Annual National Pause for the Pledge of

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If you know the history of the Pledge of Allegiance, it all becomes very clear.

Francis Bellamy was a former Baptist minister who preached that Jesus was a socialist and advocated income taxation, central banking, nationalized education, nationalization of industry, and other tenets of socialism. His challenge was how to replace the federalist view of the country (where states and individual rights were sovereign) with a nationalist one that would pave the foundation for a central socialist government. Re-education of the public would prove difficult. But if American youth could to be taught "loyalty to the state", it would pave the way for the socialist utopia that was described in his famous socialist cousin Edward Bellamy's book, 'Looking Backward".

The place to start would need to be primary education. The public schools could be used teach blind obedience to the central state. The opportunity to write a children's oath that would promote flag worship (and sales) was just what he needed to begin re-directing the citizenry's loyalty. So it was that, in 1892, Bellamy came to write the original Pledge of Allegiance: A universal tool for inducing children to swear their loyalty to the concept of an American nationstate. The "one nation, indivisible" wording was especially important to Bellamy for achieving his vision of socialism through a consolidated, monopoly government. To drive home the socialist goals, he ended it with a call for "liberty and justice." He had considered adding the other socialist bywords, "fraternity and equality," but knew that state superintendents of education on his committee were against equality for women and African Americans and would oppose it.

A "National Public School Celebration" was promoted to government officials to coincide with the 400th anniversary celebration of Columbus. It was the first national propaganda campaign on behalf of the Pledge of Allegiance. It was a massive campaign that involved government schools and politicians throughout the country. To gain their cooperation, the program lauded government schools, while private schools, especially parochial ones, were criticized.

Students were taught to recite the Pledge with their arms outstretched, palms down and then up. This was the custom in American public schools from the turn of the twentieth century until Hitler began using it to drill loyalty into his followers. He got it from the Italian fascists, who much admired - you guessed it - American schoolchildren doing it. Why did that seem like a good idea to them?

Well, have you ever noticed how arguments from Pledge fans are always citing war and "all the soldiers who fought and died for us?" Fostering lock-step, mindless loyalty to a tribal symbol (mix in a confusing reference to religion while your at it) is just what a fascist military-industrial complex needs. Especially, if they expect their youth to not just fight, but voluntarily enlist, in wars over wealth, territory, and resources (human and material) that they lust after.

Anyway, around 1950, public school officials suddenly decided that the salute was in bad taste and changed it to the familiar hand-over-heart salute.

If you want to see what the original vision of indoctrination looked like go to . If that doesn't give you pause...

BTW, no other countries have a Pledge (except Mexico and Philippines - mimicking the US).

What a holiday today?

Today is

Family History Day

Flag Day (US)

Flag Day: Anniversary of the Stars and Stripes

National Flag Day USA: Pause for the Pledge

Anniversary - US Army

Birthday - Burl Ives (singer/actor)

Birthday - Harriet Beecher Stowe (writer)

Rice Planting Festival (Japan)

Needs a simple and short wedding vows?

You are too wonderful for words and I don't know what to say, except that I will love you until my dying day. I pledge my heart and love to shelter, protect and cherish you forever. I'm your best friend and will be, from this day forward (slight pause here)..... entirely yours.

Best Wishes on your Wedding Day!

Sue