Tyranny, in the Good Ol' Orwellian Fashion

The Rev. George M. Docherty has cashed in his chips. I, for one, must temper my grief for the death of this unwitting friend of tyranny.

And why do I call him so? Because he induced that pack o' ho's that we call Congress to add the phrase under God to the Pledge of Allegiance. I don't object to the phrase because it twists an affirmation of Caesar that every American can endorse into an affirmation of the Deity that some Americans cannot, although that is what it does; nor do I object to it because it turns the phrase one nation indivisible into one that is either meaningless or redundant, although it does that, too; nor do I object to it because it destroys the beautiful rhythm of the original, although it also does that. No, I object to it, because it represents an assertion of power on the part of the aforesaid pack o' ho's that scares the living daylights out of me.

Nowhere in the United States Constitution is the power given to Congress to re-write works of authorship. The man who wrote the Pledge, whom I shall call Francis Bellamy for the sake of convenience, is an author. The same, in essence, if not in stature, as Shakespeare, Dante or St. John. What he wrote is what he wrote. Neither he nor any other author should have his work re-written by the State to suit itself. If the State doesn't like Mr. Bellamy's Pledge, let the State write its own dam' Pledge!

I could fulminate for pages, but it is enough to say that what Congress did is what the Ministry of Truth would have done in the same circumstances.

Here's the real Pledge. Paste it in the lining of your hat:

I pledge allegiance to my flag
and the republic for which it stands:
one nation indivisible
with liberty and justice for all.