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We, the people…

26 comments on We, the people…

We, the people…

: Ernie Miller has a great idea: Instead of ditching “God” from the Pledge of Allegiance, we should ditch the Pledge and have our schoolchildren recite, instead, the much more appropriate and meaningful preamble to the Constitution. Ernie then gives us the tale o’ the tape for the two documents.

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

26 responses to “We, the people…”

  1. Kevin Thurman Avatar
    Kevin Thurman

    Yeah … I can’t wait to see first grade classes across the country murder that one worse than the pledge.
    However, I cannot endorse your idea because the woman who started the whole kids and pledge thing taught at my elementary school and the irnoy of the fact that she was an ardent socialist who was fired and then moved to a commune in Oregon is just too funny for me.

  2. BTD Greg Avatar
    BTD Greg

    That’s actually a great idea. Of course, my preschoolers already know the Preamble.
    Thank you School House Rock.

  3. Alan Avatar
    Alan

    Amen. Separate worship and state. There’s altogether too much state worshippin’ goin’ on around here.
    The Constitution was an effort to keep that fire (the government) under control.

  4. Richard Aubrey Avatar
    Richard Aubrey

    I don’t think it will make a difference. The opposition to “under God” is not the real deal.
    Before that started getting ink, the opposition was to the Pledge itself.
    Too nationalistic, too jingoistic, insufficiently inclusive of other ways of living, but the real problem is that it approves of the US and invites kids to do so.
    The Preamble would do the same thing, and would thus run into the same resistance, probably couched similarly.

  5. Lis Riba Avatar
    Lis Riba

    I wouldn’t mind coming up with a variant to the Oath of Allegience for naturalized citizens, pledging to “support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America against all enemies foreign and domestic.”

  6. anne.elk Avatar
    anne.elk

    “… freedom … is a worship word…” “It is our worship word too.”

  7. bill.elk Avatar
    bill.elk

    “These words must apply to everyone or they mean nothing! Do you understand?”

  8. brian Avatar
    brian

    Shouldn’t the word “ordain” be unconstitutional?

  9. SarahW Avatar
    SarahW

    Damn that schoolhouse rock! I can’t read the preamble anymore without singing it :)
    The flag pledge’s socialist origins and my general aversions to loyalty oaths cheap enough to wear off overnight, among other significant reasons, leave me in total agreement with you.

  10. Charlie (Colorado) Avatar
    Charlie (Colorado)

    I like the notion of adopting the naturalization oath.

  11. Greg Avatar
    Greg

    I’d like to see a naturalization oath as well so long as it’s required to be spoken in English. The whole division of church and state issue is, in my view, a misinterpretation. A prohibition of state sponsored religion was the goal not a religiousless society.

  12. anne.elk Avatar
    anne.elk

    Hey bill.elk, nice to meet you! I was trying to find a script for that episode online this morning, but google failed me in my brief time. Very pleased to see you caught the reference!
    e pubnista…

  13. EZ Avatar
    EZ

    I think this is a good idea but the recited preamble should conclude with “… so help us God”.

  14. Dimmy Karras Avatar
    Dimmy Karras

    It’s kind of strange to recite just the preamble because “this Constitution” implies the rest of the document that follows. The preamble means, in brief, “For these six reasons, we’ve written a Constitution.” That doesn’t make sense as something for people to recite together.

  15. h0mi Avatar
    h0mi

    Uh oh … “blessings of liberty”.

  16. Mitch H. Avatar
    Mitch H.

    I’ve always thought that the chief virtue of the Pledge is that it’s totally divorced from the Constitution proper. The constitution draws its authority from the people, and not vice-versa. The Pledge, on the other hand, pledges the population to a nongovernmental abstraction – the flag – which is neither a government, nor a constitution, nor a god, nor a person. It’s a symbol of unity, and a safely abstract one at that. The constitution, on the other hand, is an implementation in pursuit of that ideal. Best to keep the two separate, lest someone confuse the pursuit of a more perfect union with actual perfection.

  17. Mr. Gloop Avatar
    Mr. Gloop

    Wasn’t the pledge actually proposed and sold by a Flag salesman who wanted to put flags in every schoolroom? Very, very American.
    I always thought that pledging allegiance to the flag was incorrect, and tend to side with the preamble idea. Or, just pledge to uphold and defend the constitution.
    Pledging to the flag misses the mark, if you ask me. Although, Mitch H. makes a good point about the abstraction of the pledge.
    Whichever way it goes, and whatever your beliefs, God/god oughta be taken out.

  18. John A Avatar
    John A

    Replacing the Pledge with the Constitution is a great idea, but has zero chance of getting legs. The Constitution is not only not a living document, it’s a dead letter in the U.S. today. The Pledge, on the other hand, is not only more interesting than ever, it will soon be required.

  19. Dan Avatar
    Dan

    Shouldn’t the word “ordain” be unconstitutional?
    Uh oh … “blessings of liberty”.
    Oh, come on. “Blessings” and “ordain” have common, widely-known secular meanings. The word “God”, for obvious reasons, doesn’t.
    The Pledge, on the other hand, pledges the population to a nongovernmental abstraction – the flag – which is neither a government, nor a constitution, nor a god
    No, it doesn’t. You pledge allegiance to the flag of the USA, “and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God” (emphasis mine). The Pledge of allegiance is a pledge to a specific flag, and to a specific government represented by that flag, which is under a specific god. There’s nothing the slightest bit abstract about it.

  20. Jeremy Avatar
    Jeremy

    We have a constitution?
    Never would have guessed…

  21. pr Avatar
    pr

    Please send to the archdiocese of Boston a copy of the constitution and highlight separation of church and state please…seems they think it

  22. superfly Avatar
    superfly

    To pr: Damn those religious leaders excercising their right to free speach! I will highlight the phrase “seperation of church and state” on a copy of the constitution and mail it to the diocese as soon as you can point out exactly where it is that phrase is located in the constitution.
    I am not a huge fan of reciting the pledge at public schools, but the preamble to the constitution makes little sense to recite since the people who are saying it are not writing a constitution.

  23. Sam Avatar
    Sam

    “We have a constitution?
    Never would have guessed…
    ”
    Yeah its that thing Ashcroft is always ignoring and bush is always trying to re-write.

  24. scott partee Avatar
    scott partee

    A quote from my libertarian Father-in-law:
    “You know what’s really offensive about the constitution: the indivisible part!”

  25. Angelos Avatar
    Angelos

    Relegious leaders can have all the free speech they want, just like me.
    But when they use that right from the pulpit, they can also learn to pay taxes, just like me.

  26. RattlerGator Avatar
    RattlerGator

    It is remarkable, is it not, that when thinking about the pledge someone would write as if there was a singular focus — the flag — and somehow miss that the pledge is actually to the Republic (. . . and to the Republic, for which it stands . . .)
    It’s all about the Republic.
    Remember how we uniquely refer to ourselves — the United States is, not the United States are.
    http://www.lincolnbicentennial.gov/press-febr17.html