From: Dossy (dossy@panoptic.com)
Date: Thu Jun 27 2002 - 13:22:38 MDT
On 2002.06.27, Eliezer S. Yudkowsky <sentience@pobox.com> wrote:
> Ah, being forced to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance... I still
> remember that. In the early days I was young enough to have no personal
> objection to the "God" part as yet. Still, it was clear enough that the
> Pledge contained a gaping logical flaw.
>
> "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. One
> nation under God, indivisible, with freedom and justice for all EXCEPT THE
> CHILDREN."
> -- Eli, 1st grade
In the grammar school I attended, every morning a different student was
chosen to say the pledge from the Principal's office to be heard over
the loudspeaker as every other student recited it in their homeroom
along with the soloist student.
I can't remember what grade I was in, but I was extraordinarily nervous
the first time I was selected for the task.
I clearly remember stammering out a "Unnatural, under God invisible,
with liberty and justice for all of us."
I think the reason why it came out this way is because that's what made
sense -- reading it off the plaque hanging on the wall (which is what I
was told to do if I was nervous trying to recite it from memory) just
didn't make any sense to me so I had a harder time reading it than just
making it up.
Sometimes, I think I was smarter then than I am now ...
-- Dossy
--
Dossy Shiobara mail: dossy@panoptic.com
Panoptic Computer Network web: http://www.panoptic.com/
"He realized the fastest way to change is to laugh at your own
folly -- then you can let go and quickly move on." (p. 70)
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