It's 10 p.m.; do you know who your candidates are?

I don't normally quote other people here. Generally what I write is my own. But in this case, others have compiled these facts more completely than I could, so in this case, forgive me for borrowing.

That being said, do any of us know who McCain and Palin really are? With McCain, I can't figure out when the McCain who ran as an Independent in 2000 became the McCain running as a Republican in 2008. Moreover, I can't figure out who this candidate McCain is, when you compare his platform to the record of Senator McCain.

The 3 McCains aside, who on Earth is Sarah Palin? Asking what she's done that merits her nomination is apparently an inappropriate line of questioning, so we may never find out. So, since they won't tell you before Novemeber, let's take a look at what I've found out about this year's Republican ticket.

We'll start with John Sidney McCain III:

1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws. 1 2
   
2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi." 3 4
   
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban. 5
   
4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned." 6
   
5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill. 7 8
   
6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations. 9 10
   
7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me." 11 12
   
8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates. 13 14
   
9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult." 15 16 17
   
10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year. 18

And now Sarah Louise Heath Palin:

1. Palin recently said that the war in Iraq is "God's task." She's even admitted she hasn't thought about the war much—just last year she was quoted saying, "I've been so focused on state government, I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq." 1 2
2. Palin has actively sought the support of the fringe Alaska Independence Party. Six months ago, Palin told members of the group—who advocate for a vote on secession from the union—to "keep up the good work" and "wished the party luck on what she called its 'inspiring convention.'" 3
3. Palin wants to teach creationism in public schools. She hasn't made clear whether she thinks evolution is a fact. 4
   
4. Palin doesn't believe that humans contribute to global warming. Speaking about climate change, she said, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being manmade. 5
5. Palin has close ties to Big Oil. Her inauguration was even sponsored by BP. 6
6. Palin is extremely anti-choice. She doesn't even support abortion in the case of rape or incest. 7
7. Palin opposes comprehensive sex-ed in public schools. She's said she will only support abstinence-only approaches. 8
8. As mayor, Palin tried to ban books from the library. Palin asked the library how she might go about banning books because some had inappropriate language in them—shocking the librarian, Mary Ellen Baker. According to Time, "news reports from the time show that Palin had threatened to fire Baker for not giving "full support" to the mayor." 9
9. She DID support the Bridge to Nowhere (before she opposed it). Palin claimed that she said "thanks, but no thanks" to the infamous Bridge to Nowhere. But in 2006, Palin supported the project repeatedly, saying that Alaska should take advantage of earmarks "while our congressional delegation is in a strong position to assist." 10
   

So there's 10 things you may or may not have known -- 10 things the McCain - Palin camp never would have told you -- about the 2008 Republican ticket. Just thought you should know.

With apologies to the Dalai Lama

The games of the 29th Olympiad began on August 8th, in Beijing, China, and boy did they start with a bang. The Opening Ceremonies were a stunning amalgamation of technology and human precision that amazed, shocked, and even scared. A 500 x 70 meter LED display merged seamlessly with an enormous piece of canvas painted by the flowing movements of 5 dancers. A pyrotechnics display worthy of 10 Independence Days -- but hey, the Chinese did invent fireworks -- was overlayed by even more digital fireworks; the media had to inform us 4 days later that we had all been tricked. 2008 martial arts experts performed synchronized Tai Chi. 2008 drummers performed flawlessly synchronized... well, drumming. The list went on... and on... to the point that each performer performed only once; hundreds of thousands of performers, each performing once. This was art by an army. If this is how China opens a sporting competition, God help us if they decide to invade someone.


But China isn't invading anyone; we'll leave that to Russia. The Russian and Georgian medalist, in pistol, even, did stand peacefully next to each other on the medal podium, but 3600 miles away in Tbilisi, it's a different story. China, on the other hand, has been putting their best political face forward, something NBC's been calling the "Charm Offensive". The host nation has been open and welcoming (as long as your camera stays pointed in the right direction), and the people seem to be expressing some degree of personal freedom. That's not to say, however, that the gymnasts don't appear to fear beheading as a penalty for winning less than gold.


But they are winning gold. So are the divers. In fact, China seems to be excelling in every sport based on subjective scoring. If you have to be the first to touch the pad, look to Phelps. If it's about a ball going through a hoop or over a net, Team USA can make it happen. But, put a "judge" in the mix... well, let's say that the American uniform seems to have an adverse effect of an athlete's form. Perhaps all those stars and stripes are confusing to the eye.

I hate to be sour, and I try to be objective. I'm not the most patriotic person in this country, and often cheer on the Canadians, the Irish, the Russians, or any team that happened to catch me in a certain way. I like the Olympics for the spirit of competition, and to watch records being broken; I'm not effected by whether it's the Americans or the Ukrainians doing it. But what I've seem of the judging this year's competition bothers me. Men's gymnastics bothered me. I know China was the favourite, but that's all that seemed to matter. When the US men performed vaults of difficulty beyond any other team, their scores still couldn't touch the marks awarded to China for "adequate" performances.

Diving is a sport I understand much better. I have experience in it, I've coached it, and I understand exactly how it's judged. What I don't understand is how a dive with crossed legs, over-arched back, and over-rotation gets a 10.0. Well? Australian judge? Care to comment? OK, I won't jump to any conclusions about the character of anyone I don't personally know, but I will point out that bribes were handed out back when Salt Lake was petitioning to be a host city. Those who accepted said bribes have been discharged, so... everything has to be on the up-and-up now... right?

Speaking of money -- and while we're at it, speaking of not speaking -- let's discuss our friends at NBC. Nothing like critical journalism. Every once in a blue moon you'll hear a statement that sounds like it might want to be a dissent, but then it tapers off into "... and this is a pretty good dive, and it has a high degree of difficulty, so we should see scores in the 80's". We should see scores in the 80's because we've been instructed we will see those scores, the judges have been instructed give give those scores, and the broadcasters have been instructed to give those scores. Remember, this is still a totalitarian state.

If you missed Chinese totalitarianism, it was covered in the 1,000 year gap in the history lesson they gave us in the Opening Ceremonies. 250,000 BC: China invents fire. 2000 BC: Dynastic China begins. 1045 AD: China invents movable type. 1912 to 2006: Nothing happened. Then China got the Olympics, and China found freedom. It's akin to a German history book missing the pages from 1933 to 1945. And the media has bought into it. Once, just once, I caught an interpreter slip up, and render "I'm very happy to have won, and in front of all of China, and the Chairman is here." In every other occurrence the translation "President" seems to be preferred.

And President does sound better. It fits the image we're being handed of happy Chinese people, running little acrobatics studios out of their homes, and eating scorpion-on-a-stick at local stands. The puff pieces have been wonderful. Former pro tennis player Mary Carillo wanders around China, sampling the Government-sanctioned culture -- at one point one of her interviewees stated "entrepreneur" wasn't an appropriate term, likely because she wasn't entitled to actually make any money from her home business -- while Bob Costas (who made remarks on the China Team's possible drug use during both the 1992 Barcelona and 1996 Atlanta Olympics) instead repeatedly interviews Béla Károlyi, who's complete failure of the English languages provides us with great insight like "they must stay on the apparatus [pronounced ah-pah-rah-toose]".

Occasionally, though, there are some watchable Olympic events. Michael Phelps continues to build on his world record for the most world records, now the winningest human in Olympic History with (at the time of this writing) 11 Gold Medals. By closing ceremonies, he is expected to hold a world and Olympic record in each event he swims, a Gold Medal for each, more Gold Medals than any other Olympic athlete, and the most Gold Medals ever awarded to a single person in a single Olympiad. His mantra has been amended from "Eat, Sleep, Swim" to "Eat, Sleep, Swim, Get Medal, Get Drug Tested". Luckily, the urine, blood, hair, stool, and marrow samples he's given will prevent any questioning of his performance, and at least in this one event, there are no judges to somehow steal medals from the fastest man on Earth in water.

And so, all this said, I will continue to tune in, to watch all the events where medals are based on being the fastest, or scoring the most baskets, kills, or goals. Objectivity seems to be at a minimum at these games, but for those events where it still exists, I will watch...

with apologies to the Dalai Lama.

An Open Letter to the Greater Hartford Arts Council

Every year the Hartford Advocate and the Greater Hartford Arts Council put together a local music showcase called the Hartford Advocate Grand Band Slam. Over the years, many of my friends' bands have been nominated, many have been offered for nomination, and many have been completely overlooked. This year, I received a notification from one of these friends, Ronnie Neuhauser, calling to supporters to nominated his band for this years contest. Normally, I would think that asking your friends to nominate your band would defeat the value of a nomination process, but knowing how these things (unfortunately) work, I completely understood the call for support.

As a friend and fan of Ronnie's, a supporter of local music, and a musician myself, I felt compelled to share Ronnie's thoughts on the subject. I will add first my own editorial that Ronnie and the members of his ensemble are among the most talented individuals I have ever seen perform, and without a doubt, the most original and creative group of musicians in the area.

Ronnie's letter:

Dear Greater Hartford Arts Council,

My name is Ronnie Neuhauser, composer/guitarist for No Cheez Orchestra and Styrocultural Antidote. I wanted to bring to your attention something I feel very strongly about. It is quite upsetting that the Grand Band Slam, a contest where I imagine the intent is to support creative local artists; is nothing but a popularity contest. This is disturbing because every contest I come across, especially corporate sponsored ones, have zero to do with the art form. A contest of this fashion immediately excludes many artists who are doing something different (of course there are a few exceptions). It's bad enough that the current culture has such a narrow view of what music is because of the corporate musical landscape, but for an establishment whose intent should be to give voice to artists pushing boundaries; this is nothing short of frightening. I was hoping a contest devised by an arts council would be much different. Why not have a group of judges who at least have some idea of aesthetics decide? The contest/event should cater to artists. As I examine these events I find that the artist becomes the least important participant. I hope you give my thoughts serious consideration and I'd certainly love to speak in more detail about it.

I believe the council has an obligation to help establish ground breaking artists, and give a voice to those who are being marginalized.

Peace, Ronnie
www.nocheez.com

Wanderlust

A few things have come to convergence in my head, kind of all at once, that have brought me to a realization.


First is that I felt the need to write, but wondered if I could produce something apolitical at the moment. Everything I've felt compelled to write lately has been about the state of the nation in one way or another, and although I'm happy to share all my thoughts on the subject, I wanted to just write something more... mundane.


Also today, I came to the understanding that Waterfest 14 would not be in the cards for me. There are plenty of other VW events this summer, so I have no issue missing this one. But in thinking about the show, and why I wanted to go, I came to the realization that I haven't gone anywhere in a while. Now that relates back to the previous point, in that some of my favourite blogs have been about travel and trips.


I've also realized that I've been saying more and more often lately, that I want to move. And when I say move, I mean really move. Out of this area, out of Connecticut, and out of the country. France is really sticking with me, and although I know it's only one of many possible destinations, the idea of being ready to leave continent and language behind, without fear, proves my readiness to pack it all up and go.


So... it would seem I need to stretch my legs a bit. No, I'm not leaving for France tomorrow, but I'd like to wander. In February I drove from one side of this land to the other, and now I have a better understanding of how varied this country is. Now I want to see more. This summer seems to be a good time to do some travelling. Nothing serious; nothing costly; nothing far. Sunday, I hope to go up to Woodstock, CT (no relation to the hippy festival). Maybe I'll take a bunch of little trips like this. Gas is pricey, but at 30 miles to the gallon, I can still roam a bit on $20 to 25.

Connecticut is getting too small. Soon enough it will be too small to stay. But for now, it's time to see a bit more of it, and the surrounding area. As I learned this winter, there's much more to see than what I've come to know. On a related point, a quotation I just stumbled across. "Hitler didn't travel. Stalin didn't travel. Saddam Hussein never traveled. They didn't want to have their orthodoxy challenged." — Howard Gardner

I, on the other hand, am more than happy to have mine challenged... in fact, I welcome it.

Independence Day

Friday, July 4, is Independence Day. I hate when people call it "The Fourth of July". The 4th of July is a date, not a holiday. By that logic, I should celebrate "The Seventh of March"; seems just as valid. Or why not "The Nineteenth of May"? That one sounds good.

But the one coming up is Independence Day. It's a good holiday. About as American a holiday as one could have. We celebrate the day we declared ourselves a nation, we drink beer, we grill beef, we blow shit up. Yup, as American as they come.

I'm not against Independence Day. I'm against Independence... but at this point, I don't think the Queen would have us back. Independence Day should stand to remind us, once annually, that we are a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears punks. This year, it will be 232 whole years, which in Nation terms makes us about 12.

Would you let your twelve year old declare war?

400 years ago, a bunch of disgruntled religious extremists (Yes, don't you remember studying the Puritans in 9th grade history and English Lit?) left England to sail forth to find a new place to practice their stonings and witch-hunting. They came across this great nation -- and the great Nation that inhabited it -- and by their own arrogance, claimed it as their own... but still as a colony of their mother country (they were nuts, but not without a sense of economic prudence).

165 years passed -- we'll skip over the gloomy part about what happened to the native inhabitants -- and (as legend has it) finally got fed up one day about tea. Now in the past 168 years, they had pretty much given up the whole funny-hats, witch-stoning religious odd-ball-ity, and settled for... well basically the same religion they were practicing back home that they were oh so oppressed by (oh, and some had become Quakers... that's an interesting one... but for another time, perhaps).

So, in 1773, the blood of much tea was spilled. 3 years later, they justified their costumed vigilantism (kinda like Batman, less the cape, add Indian feathers, loose the cool gadgets, and add a distaste for tea and taxation) with a documented, ratified, and official declaration, wherein they called the British a bunch of tyrants, and said "we don't have to stand for this."

Sic semper tyrannis!

Actually that's what John Wilkes Booth said after he shot Lincoln, but the message was the same, and we declared war on Britain.

Fast forward another 232 years, and I sit on a beach, watching fireworks, and listening to bad music. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against John Philip Sousa; it's the rest of the dreck... the patriotic "pop" music... that leaves much to be desired. If there's one in particular that makes me want to kick babies, it's "Proud to be an American" by good old Lee Greenwood. "And I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free." Listen, Lee, you can be free in Finland... where you can also have Universal Healthcare and the greatest standard of living in the world. Plus, you get the added benefit of having a head of state who isn't the laughing stock of the planet.

"...at least I know I'm free." Yeah, at least you have that. Your country may unlawfully torture non-combat detainees in a secure and secretive base on the shore of an enemy nation we've been in embargo with for greater than 50 years while ignoring all UN requests for meer inspection... but at least you know you're free. It's like saying I'm proud to be complete trailer trash, where at least I know no one will rob me.

OK, but enough bashing of trailer trash.

If it's not Lee Greenwood, maiking me want to move to Bulgaria, or the 6 tone-deaf assholes behind me singing along, or the "Town Band" murdering the 120 year old classics of Mr. Sousa, then its the ignorantly inappropriate "Born in the USA". Yup, Bruce Springsteen's classic rock anthem... you know it, you love it, I love it... I will not disparage The Boss. But apparently no one knows what it means. Maybe when Bruce denied Ronald Reagan the right to campaign, we might have remembered why. No? Well, because it's not a song of nationalism or patriotism, that's why.

I got in a little hometown jam
And so they put a rifle in my hands
Sent me off to Vietnam
To go and kill the yellow man

That's patriotic, right? Killing is the name of one's nation is about as nationalist as one can get.

Come back home to the refinery
Hiring man says "Son if it was up to me"
I go down to see the V.A. man
He said "Son don't you understand"

Oh, that must be the patriotism... not being hired after coming back from serving his country?

I had a buddy at Khe Sahn
Fighting off the Viet Cong
They're still there, he's all gone
He had a little girl in Saigon
I got a picture of him in her arms

Patriotic yet?

Down in the shadow of the penitentiary
Out by the gas fires of the refinery
I'm ten years down the road
Nowhere to run, ain't got nowhere to go

Homeless vets. Yup. Yeah, not so patriotic, I agree. So... back to Independence Day.

Annoying music -- either by lyric, performance, or blatant inappriopriateness -- coupled with drunken yahoos -- any statutes forbidding drinking in public do seem to be ignored on this day -- form the bachground for the true spectacle of the Independence Day celebration: Fireworks.

Thank you to the 9th century Chinese for giving us the telltale expression of our most American holiday. Granted, these days the greatest fireworks in the US come from an Italian-American family in Long Island named Grucci, who have been making American-made firworks since 1850. A typical Grucci fireworks program costs about $100,000. Bear than in mind the next time you pay your city tax bill.

Or, you can go down to your local fireworks store, or drive to New Hampshire, South Carolina, or whatever your closest legal state to buy fireworks and illegally bring them back to your own, crack open a can of your favorite canned beer, fire up your grill, sit the kids on the lawn, and procede to blow your own hand off.

Happy 4th of July.

Summer Viewing List

In case you've been living in a cave, I'll remind you that there's a general election coming up. November is very close. So, in the interest of making an informed decision, I offer a selection of documentary films to remind you of the issues facing this country and the world; issues that should be born in mind when selecting our next president (and Senators and Representatives, should you live in a state electing one).

And so, I give you your Summer Reading List. But, since I know reading is so passé, they'll all be movies, instead. And, when at all possible, I shall give Netflix and Blockbuster online links, so you can queue or even watch the films online.

Fahrenheit 911 | IMdB | Netflix | Blockbuster
Michael Moore, in his usual fervor, goes after the US Government for its actions before, during, and after 9-11, and the ensuing war in Iraq.

Ghosts of Abu Ghraib | IMdB | Netflix | Blockbuster
What's most amazing about this film from HBO is how early they broke this story. The Abu Ghraib conspiracy may be past, but bear in mind as you watch this film, that if this could happen in Iraq, where access was available, what could possibly be happening at Guantanamo Bay, where there is no outside access.

An Inconvenient Truth | IMdB | Netflix | Blockbuster
Al Gore prevents the hard facts about Global Warming. Maybe you think another month of nice weather is good thing, or don't understand why the people of Greenland are pissed that their country is going from icy white to green... maybe it'll make more sense to you when New York City is under water.

Jesus Camp | IMdB | Netflix | Blockbuster
Not so much a political issue, but this film shows the utter indoctrination of young Evangelicals, being raised and trained to enact the political agenda of what is possibly the largest voting sect in America. If the image of 8 year olds praying to a cardboard icon of George W. Bush disgusts you in the slightest, remember this image as you vote and remind everyone you know to do the same.

Recount | IMdB | Netflix | Not available on Blockbuster
8 years ago, we had a national election, between our current president and a would-be Nobel Prize winner. The election came down to one hotly contested, disputed, and possibly cheated state. HBO films again presents the events surrounding the controversy of the election that wasn't decided by the people, but in the end, by the United States Supreme Court.

Sicko | IMdB | Netflix | Blockbuster
Michael Moore, again. Love him or hate him, he makes compelling documentaries. Before he formally endorsed Barack Obama this Spring, Moore was a supporter of the Hillary Clinton heathcare initiative. Take a look at Moore's view of the American healthcare crisis, and see what other countries, from Brance to Cuba, have done about the situation.

Unconstitutional: The War on Our Civil Liberties | IMdB | Netflix | Blockbuster
A hard look into the Patriot Act. Did our political leader sell out our freedoms? For what price? And what was our price? Also looks at internment at Guantanamo Bay, is this just a replay of the Japanese internment camps in World War II? Is that what we've become... again?

Also available from this producer:
Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War | IMdB | Netflix | Blockbuster
Uncovered: The War on Iraq (follow-up to above) | IMdB | Netflix
Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election | IMdB | Netflix | Blockbuster

Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price | IMdB | Netflix | Blockbuster
Robert Greenwald again (Unprecedented, Uncovered, Unconstitutional), shows us that we indeed get what we pay for. From the lacking standards for their employees, and refusal to allow them to unionize, to the conditions under which their products are made, to the effects the mega-store has on small-town business and their environment, Greenwald takes aim at America's Superstore with brilliant accuracy.

WMD: Weapons of Mass Deception | IMdB | Netflix | Blockbuster
Fair and Balanced? Take a look into the role the media played in "Operation Iraqi Freedom". Who was on-board the administration's Spin Machine? The answer may shock you.

There are many more fine documentaries available. I can only offer the few I've had the opportunity to see just the Spring. I hope that you have the opportunity to see some, if not all of these titles, before the upcoming election, and that just one of these points echoes in your head as you pull that voting booth lever.

One Nation Under God? Not for the first 347 years.

I just finished watching Jesus Camp, a documentary regarding Midwestern Evangelical Christians and the indoctrination of the children through Youth Ministries and Evangelical Summer Camp. It's really fascinating and terrifying stuff. And not to spoil the film for you, but I was particularly amused with the fact that the camp is held in the town of Devil's Lake, ND.

Like any good God-loving organization, these Evangelical Christians love the phrase "One Nation Under God". They use it repetitively to justify not only that Christianity has a place in American politics (at one point they're seen praying to a cut-out of George W. Bush), but that the United States of America is somehow Jesus' chosen country. Personally, I think if Jesus were to have a country, he'd like one that wasn't as crippled and divided as ours; maybe Finland.

But I digress. Upon completion of the film, I was compelled to look into this "One Nation Under God" thing. I was fairly certain it was not one of our founding principles -- not found in the Declaration of Independence, or even the Constitution -- and it was my understanding the phrase first appeared in the Pledge of Allegiance. So I sought to find out where that came from.

22 seconds later -- Wikipedia is a beautiful thing -- I had all the answers I was was looking for. In fact, this elusive phrase was more detached than I had even thought. I'm not going to reprint the entire Wikipedia article -- if you care to, you can read it here -- but let me simply throw out the pertinent facts.

The United States is considered to be founded in 1776. I don't think I need to cite anything here; this is fairly common knowledge. The beginnings of what we may consider "American" Colonial culture start considerably earlier with Jamestown in 1607, and Plymouth in 1620. Even my hometown of Milford was established in 1639. If we consider Jamestown the beginning of "America", then we're a hair over 400 years old.

400 years ago, our forefathers came to this continent seeking religious tolerance; not quite "One Nation Under God" yet. 232 years ago, 13 colonies come together as one Nation, defined by its Declaration of Independence to be "endowed by [our] Creator with certain unalienable Rights". So by 1776, we're acknowledging a Creator, by we're still a far cry from "One Nation Under God". So let's move ahead.

It's not from the Constitution; the words "God" or "Creator" don't even appear. So I guess we have to look to, as I was to understand, the first appearance of the phrase, the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy. Bellamy was a Baptist minister and a Christian Socialist. That must explain "One Nation Under God". Nope. When Bellamy's Pledge was printed in it's original form, in the popular children's magazine The Youth's Companion, as part of the National Public-School Celebration of Columbus Day, it read "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. America"

Only 106 years ago, and still, no sight of "One Nation Under God". So when do we find this elusive phrase. Be patient. We know we'll get to it soon.

The Pledge was first used in public schools, by proclamation of President Benjamin Harrison, on October 12, 1892, during Columbus Day observances. Still, no change in the language.

In 1923 the National Flag Conference called for a change in the wording. They changed the words "my Flag" to "the Flag of the United States". They wanted immigrants to know to which flag reference was being made. Apparently the standing and facing the American flag wasn't clarification enough. Still no God.

Later that year, a second edit was made. No God; just "of America".

In 1940 the Pledge of Allegience came before the Supreme Court. In Minersville School District v. Gobitis (a misspelling of Gobitases), the Court ruled that students in public schools could be compelled to recite the Pledge, even Jehovah's Witnesses like the Gobitases, who considered the flag salute to be idolatry. But even at this point, there's no mention of God in the Pledge.

In 1943 the Supreme Court reversed its decision, ruling in West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette that "compulsory unification of opinion" violated the First Amendment.

In 1945, after the Pledge had twice gone before the United State Supreme Court, the U.S. Congress officially recognized the Pledge as the official national pledge. I guess if we needed an "official national pledge", that would be the one. And still, it bears no reference to God.

In 1951, some 344 years after Jamestown, 175 years after the Declaration of Independence, God shows up in the Pledge... for some people. The Knights of Columbus, in New York City, felt that the pledge was incomplete without any reference to a deity. Citing language from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, took it upon themselves to add the phrase "under God" to the Pledge of Allegiance, at the beginning of their own meetings.

On August 21, 1952, the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus adopted a resolution urging that the change be made universal, and copies of this resolution were sent to the President, the Vice President (as Presiding Officer of the Senate) and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. This urging was ignored.

The National Fraternal Congress meeting in Boston, on September 24, 1952, adopted a similar resolution. Several State Fraternal Congresses acted likewise almost immediately thereafter. This campaign led to several official attempts to prompt Congress to adopt the Knights of Columbus’ policy for the entire nation. These attempts failed.

Senator Homer Ferguson, finally brought a resolution before Congress, and in his report on March 10, 1954, said, "The introduction of this joint resolution was suggested to me by a sermon given recently by the Rev. George M. Docherty, of Washington, D.C., who is pastor of the church at which Lincoln worshipped." Congress passed the Oakman-Ferguson resolution, and Eisenhower signed the bill into law on Flag Day, June 14, 1954.

And so, for days short of a mere 54 years, and due to the work of the Knights of Columbus, and a Rev. Dochery inspired Senator Ferguson, we have been "One Nation Under God". And let us not even venture into the idea of even having an oath of Allegiance, or the nazi-esque salute that went along with it for the first 50 years. That rant will have to be saved for a different blog.