Pledge of allegiance is to our nation
As we all learned early in school, there is a pledge that tells us what the flag is all about: our one indivisible nation that aspires to the ideals of liberty and justice for all. In some ways, it seems we never moved beyond rote recitation to consider what it really means to display our flag or to use it in a pre-game ritual. It’s not about the banner. It’s about allegiance to a nation dedicated to assuring that people are allowed to live freely and are treated with the justice they deserve.
Here are a few things that do not follow from that pledge: Using the flag as a blunt instrument to intimidate others, using it as a marketing strategy, using it for a commercial gimmick or using it as a partisan political device.
Here are a few that do follow from it: Recognizing the fractures in our indivisible nation, recognizing the injustices that we see or read about daily and recognizing the freedom we are all supposed to have to call out such matters.
Boyce Brawley