It's funny... I just heard this exact sentiment in my office, maybe an hour after reading Jay Ackroyd describe it over at Eschaton.
Email is a big cog in the attack machine this time 'round. I saw it for myself in Maine on caucus weekend when an old family friend resisted entreaties to caucus for Obama, saying he couldn't support someone who refuses to say the pledge of allegiance.
I mean, yeah, we all know this is demonstrably untrue. But that aside, what is the big deal with the Pledge of Allegiance? It's fucking creepy. I haven't said the pledge since 10th grade, and bear in mind I was a raging young republican back then. Why should I pledge anything, nevermind allegiance, to a symbol? Symbols can easily be usurped and bastardized. I have no allegiance to the flag, or even the nation that flies it. My allegiance is reserved for a set of ideals, those being democracy, liberty, justice and equality. I am proud to live in a country founded on those ideals, and that has continuously improved upon that foundation. But of late, I've been reminded far too often that things can change. I take giving my word far too seriously to pledge allegiance to something that could quite conceivably come to symbolize that which I abhor. Pledging allegiance to a flag is not patriotic. It is nationalistic. It is the worship of a symbol instead of a value. It is political idolatry. It's easy, and it's empty. It's appealing because it takes so little effort. You can stick a flag on the rear window of your pick-up truck and consider yourself a patriot. How do you stick freedom on your window? Or justice? Or equality? Those are concepts. They're not easy. Pondering them might make one miss American Idol. I mean, come on, "American" is right there in the name. That's patriotic right there. One can't be expected to waste time on things like 'concepts' and 'values'.
The Pledge of Allegiance was written for children. That an adult could be lambasted for not saying it, whether the accusation is true or not, says a lot about our maturity as a society.
Update: I just spoke to a friend about this, who pointed out that criticizing someone for not saying the pledge isn't really about patriotism, but conformity. I think this may be very true.
