All of us have taken that oath at least once in our lives. Some of us even take that oath very seriously. Evidently there are some in leadership positions that don’t take that oath or any other oath seriously at all. We have reached a moment of great sadness in our nation because while some of us respect the oaths that we take and others view oaths with contempt.
A pledge is a vow, an oath, a promise, an assurance of something. What does a citizen promise when they take that pledge? Do they promise just to obey the laws of this country, or is there something more substantive to the oath than that? We pledge allegiance. What is that? Loyalty, commitment, adherence, faithfulness, fidelity and duty. We pledge loyalty to a flag. So what is our …show more content…
The flag is a powerful symbol of Americanism. To paraphrase a president, it is the symbol of ‘who we are’. It is the flag of the United States of America. Are the several states that make up this country united? Those who take the oath also swear allegiance to the republic. So what is a republic? A republic is a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected president. Governments that are based on the principles of a republic legitimize their leadership with a constitution. Our flag stands for the republic, and our republic derives its legitimacy from our constitution. We are one nation. So, what is a nation? A nation is a large aggregate of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory. When we take this pledge we accept all those things that we have in common, without reference to those things that we may not have in common. We are a nation under God. We are not a nation under a charismatic leader, or under any theory of law or even under any social mandate. We acknowledge when we take the pledge of allegiance that there is a power that is even higher than our constitution.
A pledge is a vow, an oath, a promise, an assurance of something. What does a citizen promise when they take that pledge? Do they promise just to obey the laws of this country, or is there something more substantive to the oath than that? We pledge allegiance. What is that? Loyalty, commitment, adherence, faithfulness, fidelity and duty. We pledge loyalty to a flag. So what is our …show more content…
The flag is a powerful symbol of Americanism. To paraphrase a president, it is the symbol of ‘who we are’. It is the flag of the United States of America. Are the several states that make up this country united? Those who take the oath also swear allegiance to the republic. So what is a republic? A republic is a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected president. Governments that are based on the principles of a republic legitimize their leadership with a constitution. Our flag stands for the republic, and our republic derives its legitimacy from our constitution. We are one nation. So, what is a nation? A nation is a large aggregate of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular country or territory. When we take this pledge we accept all those things that we have in common, without reference to those things that we may not have in common. We are a nation under God. We are not a nation under a charismatic leader, or under any theory of law or even under any social mandate. We acknowledge when we take the pledge of allegiance that there is a power that is even higher than our constitution.