In 1969, Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young played at the Woodstock Music Festival…
November 16th, 2009
In fact, CSN&Y had played only one previous show together prior to Woodstock. Even though each member was an experienced musician, the lack of playing together resulted in the band being incredibly nervous. The set included acoustic performances of songs from the first album released without Young, who came out and played as a duo with Stills. They were announced as their former band Buffalo Springfield, although the actual Buffalo Springfield had since disintegrated.
Also in 1969, the well known and beloved comedian Red Skelton (who can forget ‘Freddie the Freeloader’ or ‘Clem Kadiddlehopper’) lamented on his weekly television show that the Pledge of Allegiance might someday be considered a “prayer” and eliminated from public schools. Given the recent appeals court ruling that teacher-led recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional, Red Skelton’s words now strike many as remarkably prescient (and perhaps more prophetic than even he imagined).
This is not me talking… This is a comedian who had so much love for his country that he told the world exactly what the Pledge of Allegiance meant. He shared his experience as a boy in school and the musings of a teacher that helped him understand exactly what the pledge means. And all of this happened on the 14th of January, 1969.
Ladies and Gentlemen… Mr. Red Skelton…
The Pledge of Allegiance.
I: Me, an individual, a committee of one.
PLEDGE: Dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self pity.
ALLEGIANCE: My love and my devotion.
TO THE FLAG: Our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom. Wherever she waves, there’s respect because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts freedom is everybody’s job.
UNITED: That means that we have all come together.
STATES: Individual communities that have united into 48 great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose; all divided with imaginary boundaries yet united to a common purpose, and that’s love for country.
AND TO THE REPUBLIC: A state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people, and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.
FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION: One nation, meaning “so blessed by God.”
INDIVISIBLE: Incapable of being divided.
WITH LIBERTY: Which is freedom, the right of power to live one’s own life without threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation.
AND JUSTICE: The principle or quality of dealing fairly with others.
FOR ALL: For all, which means, boys and girls, it’s as much your country as it is mine.
And now, boys and girls, let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance:
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: “under God.” Wouldn’t it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer, and that would be eliminated from schools too?
It means even more today than it did in 1969…
