the pledge I'm reasonably patriotic, and I think this is the best damn country in the world. But "under God" or not, I never much cared for the Pledge of Allegiance [which, when I was in school, was always led by the "Voice of DHS" Ryan Seacrest, now of "American Idol" fame]. The pledge always seemed little more than a rote loyalty oath, which -- if you believe the internet -- was originally written in order to sell flags. Though I love my country, my allegiance is to its [classical] liberal ideals, not to its flag, not to its republican government, and certainly not to any notion of "indivisibility." Commentators and congressmen will wring their hands and argue about whether God has a place in the pledge. The more interesting issue -- whether a "pledge of allegiance" has a place at all -- will go largely unquestioned.