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THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
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Recited by Red Skelton
on " The Red
Skelton Hour", January 14, 1969
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I have been listening to you boys and girls recite the pledge of allegiance
for some time now, and it seems as though it's becoming monotonous to you. If
I may, let me recite it and try to explain to you the meaning of each word.
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I
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Me. An individual. A committee of one.
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pledge
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Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.
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allegiance
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My love, and my devotion.
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to the flag
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Our standard, Old Glory. A symbol of freedom. Wherever she waves, there's
respect, because your loyalty has given her dignity that shouts, "Freedom is
everybody's job."
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(of the) United
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That means that we have all come together.
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States
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Individual communities that have united into 50 great states. Fifty individual
communities with pride, dignity, and purpose. All divided with imaginary
boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that's love for country.
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of America
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That wilderness continent which was tamed by our courageous forefathers, yet
which remains to be protected for our children's children's children.
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and to the Republic
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Republic A state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives
chosen by the people to govern. That government is the people, and it's from
the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.
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for which it stands
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Our flag is the symbol of that Republic.
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one nation
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An entity which is more than the sum of its 50 member states.
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under God,
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Supreme Being, the source of all power, life, light, truth, justice, and love.
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indivisble,
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Incapable of being divided.
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with liberty
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Freedom. The right or power to live one's own life without threat or fear of
some sort of retaliation
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and justice
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The principle or quality of dealing fairly with others.
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for all.
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for all. Which means that it is just as much your country as it is mine.
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Now would you join me in pledging allegiance to our flag? As you say the
words, think of the meaning and importance of every one of them. And remember
the hundreds of thousands of brave men and women who have died over the last
two hundred years, just so you could hold your heads up high and say these
words.
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