Colin McEnroe Show: The Pledge, Powerball, Political Drama, Siri, & Horse Meat
Featuring Irene Papoulis, Bruce Barber, and Patty McQueen.
The Pledge of Allegiance is a 20th century creature. It was written at the end of the 19th century by a Christian socialist minister as part of a general push toward American nationalism, with special regard for the flag. I find people all the time who think it dates back to the founding of the United States. The phrase "under God" was added in the 1950s. There are all kinds of stores about how and why that happened. I think it's fair to sum it up as kind of a Cold War thing. The Soviets were godless. We weren't.
The Supreme Court ruled in 1943 that public school students could not be required to say that pledge. The Court referred to it as "compulsory unification of opinion," a phrase I rather like.
Now the University of Connecticut is adding the pledge to the national anthem before Huskies games. It's one of the topics for today's Nose.
Leave your comments below, e-mail colin@wnpr.org or Tweet us @wnprcolin.
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On repenting in leisure
Colin: Good on you not letting the "under God" history be handwaved away. Someone has to be the one to tell a veteran that things we adapt during one of our periodic Red Scares makes for awfully bad law.
However, you did forget that Speaker Boehner recently led the charge to re-pass a bill telling us that "In God We Trust" is our national motto. Apparently that "jobs is job one" thing has been all taken care of.
My concern is that the Speaker has not re-reaffirmed in over two weeks. That alarming lapse somehow makes feel less secure, a state only allayed by reciting the pledge while huddled with my arms wrapped around my knees, rocking back and forth on my hindquarters and heels.
EMAIL FROM SCOTT:
One of my favorite episodes of All in the Family, concerned the eating of horse meat. Michael (Meathead) brought home "steak" for dinner. Apparently eating meat at this time was a rarity. Gloria had no problem with eating it, and quickly convinced, michael, and it was legal in New Jersey. The jokes ensued, "straight from the horses mouth", etc.
You really must watch the video.
Part of the problem in our society may be that horses, like dogs helped our country grow and prosper, there are no police chickens, or police pigs. There were no war hero lambs or ducks. Thus these animals were considered merely fodder for the citizens. To eat such a loyal and useful animal and "pet" would be uncivilized! So our culture goes. Wouldn't most people be disgusted if the knew that many other cultures do eat our pets, guinea pigs, dogs, rats and more. It's both a cultural and marketing campaign that keeps us from accepting the culinary advantages that these animals could offer to the masses.
EMAIL FROM NATHAN:
As a recent UConn band alumni, thought I'd toss in a story from my school days. Occasionally, the signer of the National Anthem would be late or just not show up. In that case, the band would in fact play the anthem; however, the only heads up that we were going to play would be the announcer asking the fans to stand as the band plays. This would be followed a mad scramble to find the music in our flipfolders, all of us hoping that we'd find it and come in together on that first downbeat.
That being said, many band members have held the same opinion as Geno; it's far more fun to have everyone sing along, plus why should we pay someone when we have such a great band there already!
EMAIL FROM LATISSA:
I was listening to the discussion and I just wanted to communicate to you all that I am a 40 year old mother of 3 and I do not have my children recite the pledge because they can't commit to what they don't understand and especially when the words are not true for everyone.
EMAIL FROM SCOTT:
By purchasing a powerball ticket you consent to the using of your likeness as part of the "contract" that you enter into.
EMAIL FROM TED:
I hope Peggy McQueen will take some time to review the use of loyalty oaths in the McCarthy era and other eras going well back in history. The Pledge of Allegiance is a loyalty oath. Loyalty oaths are unnecessary and scary.
Rather than ask "Why would anybody have a problem with reciting this oath?" we should ask "Why should children be encouraged to take a daily loyalty oath?" The fact that Peggy doesn't know what it means is hardly a good reason to say it.
Thank you.
EMAIL FROM BEV:
I remember in the 70's you could buy horsemeat in Westbrook CT.
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