Where Is Your Allegiance?

Every day, students across the country are pledging their allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. Little do they often know, however, what the words they are speaking mean. Here are the words to the pledge of allegiance: “I pledge 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.”

            First of all, I want to stress how important words really are; especially words that come out of our mouths. Our words make up who we are—they are a testimony and reflection of our character and our beliefs. Words make up the vast majority of the communication we have with others. Words can raise people up or tear them down to the ground. Words can change the world for the better or for the worse. Words can have a lasting imprint of the hearts and minds of individuals. Just look back at the past and you’ll see the evidence of the power of words. Leaders of this world—Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King Jr., Charles Dickens, and Jesus Christ, just to name a few—have influenced thousands of people throughout world history through their words. What we say has a much higher importance than we think it does.

            Since what we say matters, it is significant that we pay close attention to our words and know what they mean. So, what does the pledge of allegiance really mean? Not only are you speaking words when you put your hand over your heart, but you are pledging loyalty and devotion to everything that the stars and stripes stand for. Think about the words. “I pledge allegiance to the flag…and to the republic for which it stands.” What is the republic that is being referred to? Most people would say the United States of America. However, what is the United States of America? Are you pledging your allegiance to the country you live in today and its government officials? Are you pledging your allegiance to some fictional American utopia where everything is perfect? Or are you pledging allegiance to the republic for which that flag stands for and the principles of that republic which are laid out in its founding documents?

Kids do it every day not even knowing what it means

            One thing that is important to remember is this: perhaps the United States cannot even be referred to as a republic anymore. It is evident that by the hour we are becoming more and more socialist because of our education system, government-funded programs, the way this country is run, and the corrupt leaders of this nation. God isn’t even allowed in schools. Kids in schools aren’t taught about the founding fathers and the constitution anymore. The president of the United States is gaining more and more power. The government is taking from the rich and giving to the poor; thousands are living on food stamps and government funds. This is not the American Republic. This is not the American dream. We were once a republic, that’s for sure, but we are far from that today.

            So, how can you be pledging your allegiance to your country when your country is not a republic? You can’t say that you’re pledging allegiance to a republic and then turn around and say that you’re pledging your allegiance to the United States. It’s important to remember that we were once “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” but we have fallen away from that somewhere along the way, and that is our ultimate goal: to become again what we once were.

            When I say those words, I’m pledging my allegiance to a republic, not to the United States. No, I’m pledging my allegiance to the real America: the America that was built upon a sure foundation of eternal principles; compiled together in an inspired document by patriotic, God-fearing men who desired to show the world and generations after them what true freedom means. I’m pledging my allegiance to the U.S. Constitution and the principles that are found in that document. I’m pledging my allegiance to my country—the essence of the United States of America; the land of the free, the home of the brave, and the land of opportunity. America isn’t a nation ruled by Barack Obama and his cabinet. America is a republic of the people, by the people, for the people; one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.