The Quintessential American Holiday

 Annamaria on Independence Day Monday

Photo Credit: NASA

This going to be more of a greeting card then a blog. I have a lot I want to say on the state of things in my country, but I am visiting with friends to celebrate Independence Day. I don’t want to miss out on the fun; I’ll get to the serious stuff on this subject next week.

For today, I want to talk about the pledge that patriots make to my country.  I learned it in kindergarten at our Lady of Lourdes school in Paterson, New Jersey. We began class every day, first with our hands folded, saying the Lord’s Prayer.  Then, with our right hands over our hearts, we faced the flag and recited this pledge:

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

(The words “under God“ were added to the pledge at some later date, when I had already rose—some might say sunk—to atheism.  When I  say that pledge today, I say it as I first learned it, leaving out the deity. You don’t have to be believe in God to love your country.)

This Fourth of July holiday, cognizant of the divisions among the US citizenry, I am greeting everyone with those final words. I present them here in the way they appear in my mind and in the emphatic tone of my voice when I speak them.

Liberty and JUSTICE for ALL!

I wish that all of those people who think of themselves as patriots, when reciting these words, could take to heart the true meaning of the words they are saying.

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