Archive for June, 2008
June 30th, 2008
I received this op/ed piece last week. Thought you might enjoy reading it whether you agree with the author’s premise or not.
By Paul M. Howey
Independence Day — a perfect time for some independent thinking. On this all-American day of apple pie, parades, and fireworks, what better time to question why we pledge “allegiance” to a flag.
We say the Pledge of Allegiance a lot, mechanically mouthing the words without truly understanding them or their history. Are we deluding ourselves into believing this somehow renders us more patriotic?
At the risk of sounding like Cliff from Cheers, here are some little-known facts, Normie.
Conservatives are up in arms about presidential candidates wearing flag pins. I’ll bet precious few of them, however, are aware the Pledge of Allegiance was written by a left winger, a socialist even, and that corporate profits were the sole motivating factor behind it.
Francis Bellamy penned the Pledge in 1892. Bellamy was a Baptist minister, a Christian socialist, and an extreme nationalist whose sermons (“Jesus the Socialist,” for one) eventually got him booted from the church.
He then landed a job with Youth’s Companion, a magazine that also happened to be in the business of selling American flags. The magazine’s owners decided they needed to boost flag sales. They came up with a marketing gimmick.
They engineered a deal with the National Education Association to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus landing in the New World. By agreement, all the schools in the country were to have flag ceremonies, and naturally they would all need to have flags. To cement the deal, they had Bellamy write the following pledge that youngsters all over the country would be required to say:
I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
“One nation indivisible” was a phrase Bellamy used to drive home the fact that states had no inherent right of secession. The Civil War was still fresh on the minds of Americans, and the Northerners wanted to be sure the Southerners understood the new rules.
Socialist that he was, Francis had wanted to include “equality for all” in his Pledge, but he knew the states’ superintendents of education — who generally did not support equality for women or for African-Americans—would object. That could hurt flag sales (the Pledge was, after all, just an advertising ploy meant to peddle more flags), and so he dropped the idea.
The last change to the Pledge came in 1954. In response to the “Red Scare” of the McCarthy era, the words “under God” were added, supposedly to show that we rejected the godless precepts of Communism. Otherwise patriotic atheists and agnostics were not consulted.
Sadly, the Pledge of Allegiance was but an ad campaign created to bolster a corporation’s bottom line. Perhaps worse, it was worded to be politically expedient rather than politically correct.
We’re about the only nation to “pledge allegiance” to a flag, and we do it without even understanding why we do so. Perhaps it’s time to consider retiring this anachronistic practice, or at least finding a meaningful replacement.
Paul M. Howey is an author and photographer, and lives in the mountains
of Western North Carolina with his wife, four dogs, and five parrots.
He may be reached at pmhowey@gmail.com.
Distributed by AMSyndications Service.
June 26th, 2008
I think the first time I met Mary Ann Aiello in person was about six years ago when she was fighting efforts to allow bow hunters to shoot deer in the forest preserves. She stopped by the News Tower and dropped off a VHS tape that showed how deer suffered when a hunter was slightly off target and only wounded the animal instead of killing it.
Over the next few years she would call me now and then about issues she knew the Editorial Board would poke its collective nose in.
We didn’t always agree with her, although I think we did most of the time, but we always had a mutual respect.
One of our biggest disagreements was over the city of Rockford’s plan to buy a hockey team and use the revenues from the team to help pay for renovations to the MetroCentre. We liked the plan; she didn’t.
Last year when the renovations began and some of the MetroCentre concrete was broken up, pieces were packaged (Rockford MetroCentre Renovation: Brick Breaking Ceremony, June 21, 2007) and presented to County Board members and other officials as a memento.
Aiello sent her package to me with a note that said since I was a supporter of the plan and she wasn’t, she thought I’d appreciate it more.
I did. I kept it displayed on my desk in its wrappings for quite a while until my office mates pointed out this winter that it would be a wonderful door stop.
It has been. I never told Mary Ann what I wound up doing with that lump of concrete, but I think she would have appreciated it.
I talked to her last month shortly after I found out she had cancer. She was in good spirits and I thought she could beat the disease even though people who had more facts than I did told me how grim the prognosis was.
She leaves a void on the County Board and in our lives that will be hard to replace. The eighth floor of the Winnebago County Courthouse will seem a lot emptier because she won’t be there.
June 26th, 2008
Tim Bivins, a freshman state senator, was in the office today for a get-acquainted session. Bivins was in law enforcement for 32 years, including 20 years as Lee County sheriff. He replaced Todd Sieben as the senator for the 45th district.
We talked about a variety of state issues — budget, capital plan, leadership, etc.
I asked him about expanding gambling to pay for a capital plan. He said he thinks it’s poor public policy and questions revenue estimates in light of the fact that gambling revenues are down about 14 percent.
“Thirty-two years ago when I entered law enforcement we called gambling a vice,” Bivins said. “Today we call it the lotto.”
Quite a change.
Overall, Bivins compared state government to a volleyball team he used to coach — it lacks fundamentals.
June 25th, 2008
I listened to Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s news conference yesterday and I thought the governor was missing his usual passion.
Whether you like the governor or not, he’s usually energetic and colorful when he makes a speech. Yesterday’s event was a near monotone.
Maybe the job is wearing on him or maybe he’s decided a low-key approach might serve him better during this round against Speaker of the House Mike Madigan.
I would guess the former because of the Rezko trial and ongoing federal investigations.
Later today I”m expecting a call from Deputy Gov. Bob Greenlee, who will talk more about the budget.
June 23rd, 2008
I had the pleasure of attending the retirement reception for former Rockford Fire Chief Bill Robertson on Sunday at Klehm Arboretum. The most heartwarming message came from his daughters, Jill and Kathy. They said the man who was so respected in the city for his patience, grace and dignity was the same man at home.
Jill said when she was a teen, if she wanted to be out past curfew, her dad would politely listen to her reasons and carefully consider her request. Kathy remembered that on her dad’s days off, she was his shadow and eagerly put on the “blue work shirt” that matched his.
The most touching comment from the daughters was that Robertson never — ever — disrespected their mother, Sue, and that their love as a couple has always been evident.
The chief ran an excellent department, but his family’s admiration and devotion is the mark of a man whose knows where his most important legacy will be.
June 20th, 2008
In Belvidere School District’s new budget, there’s money for 3.5 mentors. That’s money well spent. While teacher satisfaction is at a 20-year high, according to a 2006 MetLife national survey, retention of teachers is still a trouble spot.
The first year of teaching can be a tremendously isolating experience, and being guided by veterans can keep a good teacher in the profession. Rockford School District uses retired teachers on a stipend. Read more on the topic in Monday’s Our Views on the Opinions page.
Also, are you a teacher? Were you fortunate enough to have a mentor? Or, did you really need one and didn’t get it? Please respond on this blog and let us know.
June 18th, 2008
The Illinois Prisoner Review Board meets tomorrow and I think there’s a good chance that it will let convicted killer Ted Bacino go free.
Bacino came within one vote of freedom last year and this year there’s been some subtle and not-so-subtle efforts to put pressure on the board to allow more prisoners to go free.
I would hope the thousands of petitions we gathered and sent to the board will have some influence on the decision, but I’m not real optimistic.
The board also will consider Simon Peter Nelson’s case. I doubt he will ever go free.
We’ll know late tomorrow morning or early tomorrow afternoon.
June 17th, 2008
Al Gore endorsed Barack Obama yesterday. What, you expected Mr. Global Warming to endorse John McCain?
Gore stayed out of the primary when an endorsement would have mattered. You have to wonder why he didn’t back his old buddy’s wife.
Gore probably has never been more popular in the Democratic Party than he is now. He could have influenced the primaries, but chose not to. What does that say about his relationship with the Clintons? Or am I reading more into Gore’s invisibility than it’s worth? Or maybe he’s just too busy trying to save the world.
June 16th, 2008
When we first started running Candorville 12 weeks ago, the reaction to the strip was about 90 percent negative. So I thought nothing of returning Doonesbury to the Opinions page today to replace Candorville.
Today I’ve already received a handful of e-mails asking for Candorville back. Personally, right now I like Candorville better, but what do the rest of you think?
June 13th, 2008
It used to be that people would get all worked up about Friday the 13th (paraskavedekatriaphobia), but it seems hardly anyone notices any more.
Newspapers used to do all sorts of features about superstitions, fears, etc. The last special story I could find in Register Star archives was 10 years ago.
Are people less superstitious, which would be good, or too busy to notice the date?
The day used to be associated with bad luck, but a recent study showed that there actually are fewer accidents on Friday the 13th. Maybe people are less likely to do risky things on that day.
If the bad weather passes us or has minimal impact, today will be considered a good day.
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