Students at California college ban Pledge of Allegiance.

To the left is how children were told to recite the pledge, using the Bellamy salute, before World War Two. Gee I wonder why they stopped?

Student leaders at a California college have touched off a furor by banning the Pledge of Allegiance at their meetings, saying they see no reason to publicly swear loyalty to God and the U.S. government.

It is interesting that this is happening because I was just thinking about this the other day.

I work in an elementary school a few hours each day and I have stood and watched young children recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning. I have to say that it makes me vaguely uncomfortable. It just seems so primitive to insist that American schoolchildren pledge an allegiance to their country. How does that make them better future Americans? Are they more likely to join the military and die for their country? Are they more likely to pay their taxes more readily? Are they less likely to find fault with our country when it enters a war of choice and suffers the disdain of the rest of the world?

No to all of the above. The only purpose it seems to serve is for children to embrace a religion that is the predominant religion of this country and to pledge an oath that they really do not understand. And it is a ridiculous requirement in this day and age.

We do not need to make a pledge to love our country, nor do we all need to believe in the same God to be an American. These are examples of old fashioned ideals that make much less sense in the world today.

We are a global community now. We are citizens of the world just as much as we are citizens of our individual countries. The more we accentuate our differences the harder it becomes for us to recognize our similarities.

Perhaps it is time to have a "Pledge of allegiance to Mother Earth".

I pledge my allegiance to our wonderful planet, and to all of the people who dwell there, many Nations with wonderful diversity, united, with liberty and justice for all mankind.

P.S. If you want to learn more about the Pledge you can find tons of info here.