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The above is one of my New Yorker cartoons that I thought sort of relates to my musings here…
At some point in my youth, I noticed that the pledge of allegiance had the word “god” in it. I had been saying it in school like we were told to, but didn’t pay attention, I guess. The pledge was first used on October 12, 1892, during Columbus Day celebrations in public schools, but it was written in 1885 by Captain George Thatcher Balch, a Union army officer in the Civil War who later wrote a book on how to teach patriotism to children in public schools. Congress added “god” in 1954 to distinguish the US from communist nations. From what I knew—and know— about the separation of church and state, I believed it wrong to include religion in something like that (later, I doubted even the use of any sort of pledge of allegiance).
So when I read about Pete Hegseth’s use of religion to justify killing, and “killing mercilessly,” I was appalled. He ordered monthly prayer meetings at the Pentagon, a violation of the seperation of church and state. In an article in the New Republic, he is quoted,
“Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our nation,” Hegseth intoned to a military audience, reciting a prayer previously given by a military chaplain before the Venezuela raid and applying it to American troops in Iran.
“Give them wisdom in every decision,” Hegseth continued, “endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.”
This is so wrong.
The issue of god aside, rather than require students to recite a pledge, we should do better teaching civics in schools, and instruct young people on how government works. I know I sorely lacked any kind of meaningful education on it. I’ve been catching up my whole life. If citizens more clearly understood how our system works, we might not be in this situation today.
Trump claims there are ongoing negotiations, but his war in Iran goes on. Trump is threatening to destroy Iran’s civilian water and energy infrastructure; which if he does, the actions could constitute potential war crimes and certainly increase escalation. He’s trying to pressure Iran into a deal by threatening them. While Trump claims the “regime change is complete,” and says that it is “frankly, more reasonable” (my guess is he is making that up). Rubio says the opposite, that the US is prepared for a regime not unlike the previous one. Is the administration trying to manage Trump’s messages, or is this all intentional to confuse everyone? Or both?
No Kings Day was incredible. But as my friend and political analyst Rick Sloan urges, VOTING IS KEY.
“Democratic and MAGA primaries occur in forty-five states and the District of Columbia. So go vote. The SAVE Act (to me it’s the SADISTS Act because it only is meant to protect $TRUMP) will not have passed by then. And each voter can vote by mail, by absentee ballot, and in-person as is their right under state law.
The November 3rd election actually begins on September 17th when Minnesota starts its early voting. But the most important dates are out west when Oregon (9/21), California and Utah(10/4), Colorado (10/11), Washington (10/14), and Nevada (10/16) begin voting by mail. And four MEGA Democratic states also have early voting: Pennsylvania (9/13), Virginia (9/18), Illinois (9/23), and Ohio (10/4). So does Georgia (10/4).”
Check out this site: Democracy Docket is a legal site that is keeping track of and fighting all the threats to our voting. They were founded in 2020, and are the leading digital news and information platform covering voting rights, elections, and the courts. They cover elections and democracy litigation, and today’s battles over democracy. They keep us informed about access to voting, gerrymandering, executive overreach, the rule of law, etc. They state on their website: “We’re committed to the fight to protect and strengthen U.S. democracy at a time when it faces grave dangers.” They have a Youtube channel with interviews.
I hope your Monday is going okay, and that you had a good weekend. Thanks for being here!!