This is America
Today, I went to the Courthouse to pay a fine. They said I was going 77 on a 55. Which I thought was bullshit, because I'm pretty sure I was going way faster than that. But hey! Whatever.
I have to say that the whole thing was surreal and like one of those Court TV shows.
Of the many things that caught my interest, was a middle age woman who could have easily pass as a school teacher, accused of assault with a deadly weapon while on Meth! An old man angrily arguing that he was definitely not using his phone while driving, a young man who was directed to come back on Thursday when there would be a translator available, and the run of the mill DUIs, unlicensed, and speeding drivers of which I was one.
After a lot of paper shuffling and name calling everybody was directed to stand up as the Judge came into the room .
And that's when my mind did a double flip.
The bailiff instructed everyone to face the flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance!
I, of course raised to the occasion, placed my hand over my heart and together with everyoneelse.
Pledged allegiance to the Flag 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.
When I mean everyone, I mean EVERYONE recited the Allegiance. At that moment, The Judge, police officers, various court officials, the audience and the prisoners held in jail we were all united in a moment of pure Patriotism.
The whole thing felt 1984-ish to me. Like some kind of dystopian movie scene.
I have to confess that at the time my most overriding thought was one of WTF! I didn't know if it has always been like this or if it was a new thing, a product of our new and strange political reality.
Turns out that this recitation is not a law, but a custom set by the particular judge of whatever city decides to go with it..
We tend to believe that things we do all the time have always been there. Like the Happy Birthday song. I'm sure that even Jesus had that song sang to him during Birthdays. The Pledge of Allegiance is like that.
Even tho this thing starts way in like the 1800s the real ridiculousness didn't really start until 1954 when Congress added the "under God" thing to the pledge to establish the United States as a Christian Nation different from the devil loving Russian Communists and when many states passed their own laws requiring schools to conduct the Pledge.
Things were going kind of ok until this one girl in California went to her dad and say.. boo hoo theyre talking about God in school, "and I no likey"
Now, the father, being a devout atheist, said, HELL NO. Not under my watch, and went ahead and sued the school for making his daughter say the G word.
The Supreme Court said, well hell, looks like the First Amendment doesn't allow for that kind of douchebaggery and went ahead and took out the words "under God" from the pledge. Which made a lot of people rejoice, but not in the biblical sense.
BIT WAIT! THERES MORE!!
The girls mother showed up all pissed off and said that at the time of the Lawsuit, the father didn't have custody of the girl!!!
The Supreme Court said, AHA!! That means the dude didn't have Standing which is the law way of saying, it was none of his business!
So they went ahead and put the Under God thing back into the Pledge.
As it stands now, States have the prerogative to include the Pledge at the beginning of each school day but can't force anyone to say it. Basically the kid has to either stand or sit there looking like an asshole in front of the other kids, or he can leave the room until it's done.
In terms of courthouses and other government offices is kinda the same and it's up to the head of the department to come up with his own rules. Some states recite the thing at the Department of Motor Vehicles when you go get a licence!!!
Interestingly enough, the guy who started it all in 1812 was a SOCIALIST Baptist preacher who did not use the Under God phrase as part of the Pledge.
So there I was thinking, I just want to pay my ticket and get the hell out!
The Bellamy Salute was the original hand gestured used when reciting the Pledge. But someone said it was too close to the Nazi salute and they changed it. I say this is the right time to bring it back!!!
