My patriotic contribution . . .

O.k., so I've heard the standard pro and con arguments about the recent court decision about the "under God" part of the Pledge of Allegiance. I've been trying to figure out why I am so passionless about this - in either direction.

It may be because I feel like an outsider in the political process. Oh sure, I vote, I stay up on the news, and think about issues. But I just see so little difference between the dominant political parties. It's only the fringe parties which can hardly be taken seriously that are even remotely interesting to me - and usually they are so very fringe that they're downright funny. I don't suppose that's a very good explanation about my ambivalence about the pledge, but mostly I think it's all a bunch of political rhetoric that doesn't resonate in my gut.

I heard a TV sound bite interview with the guy in Sacramento who originally filed the lawsuit that eventually led to the court ruling about the pledge. During the story, they played some of the messages from his home telephone answering machine that people left after the ruling. Basically, a bunch of people screaming obscenities and physical threats at this guy. Hmmm, presumably, these would be the people living their lives "under God?" I guess I know why he's an atheist.

If the advocates of the "under God" line actually cared enough to live life under God, they probably wouldn't have enough time to get upset by a court ruling. It would be irrelevant to them whether they could say the words, because they would be living them. If the advocates of prayer in schools actually prayed in schools, and taught their children to do the same, they wouldn't be concerned about getting the government's endorsement.

Speaking of atheists, I heard a funny quote from Garrison Keillor on public radio's Prarie Home Companion. It was something about a girl being a "Lutheran atheist" - basically because it's the Lutheran God she doesn't believe in. She might be o.k. with the Presbyterian or Baptist or even Muslim God, but not that Lutheran one.