This is a bit thin, though intellectually and politically significant concerning Republican VP selection, Sarah Palin.
During the 2006 race for the Alaskan governorship, the current presumptuous Republican VP nominee responded as follows to the written questionaire from the Eagle Forum Alaska
2006 Gubernatorial Candidate Questionnaire:
Are you offended by the phrase “Under God†in the Pledge of Allegiance? Why or why not?
Written response by S. Palin:
“Not on your life. If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its good enough for me and I’ll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance.”
FOR THE RECORD:
Francis Bellamy (1855 – 1931), a Baptist minister, wrote the original Pledge in August 1892. He was a Christian Socialist.
His original Pledge read as follows:
‘I pledge allegiance to my Flag and (to*) the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.’ [ * ‘to’ added in October, 1892. ]
In 1923 and 1924 the National Flag Conference, under the ‘leadership of the American Legion and the Daughters of the American Revolution, changed the Pledge’s words, ‘my Flag,’ to ‘the Flag of the United States of America.’ Bellamy disliked this change, but his protest was ignored.
In 1954, Congress after a campaign by the Knights of Columbus, added the words, ‘under God,’ to the Pledge.
The Pledge was now both a patriotic oath and a public prayer.
So she ain’t a historian either, unless you consider the Catholic organization, the Knights of Columbus “founding fathers” back in 1954.
Plus, all of a sudden I feel so old.