Yesterday
while leading the House of Representatives in the Pledge of
Allegiance Rep. Jim McDermott
(Democrat – Washington State) gave the C-SPAN cameras a bit of showmanship. When
McDermott got to the words “under God” in the pledge he very visibly shut has
mouth and clamped his lips together, as though highlighting that he would not
say that particular bit of the pledge. McDermott was in close-up for the whole
pledge and was informed that it would be so prior to broadcast. For those
unfamiliar with the pledge of allegiance I reprint it below :
I pledge Allegiance to the flag
of the United
States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one nation
under God, indivisible,
with Liberty and Justice for all.
While
I am not a religious man and have no particular attachment to religious
terminology in government, there was in fact something here that offends my
sensibilities: McDermott wont admit why he did
it! This I find
repulsive. After the Representatives office was inundated with people
disparaging him for the recital, McDermott did not say that he did so out of
opposition to the words “under god” in the pledge. He did not say that he omitted the words to
emphasize his opposition to anything smacking of Church and State. No, instead
Rep. McDermott’s office apologist Mike DeCesare put forth the excuse the
McDermott had made a mistake. He explained that McDermott had been taught
the pledge as a child without the words under god (the words were not added
until 1950) and simply had a mental slip. I find this to be slippery at best. 50
*years* are not enough to have re-memorized it? Please, do not insult my
intelligence Mike DeCesare.
The
icing to this cake came later when Mike DeCesare changed the story! The second
explanation was that McDermott was unsure if he should say the words because a
recent ruling by the 9th
Circuit Court was being deliberated upon by the Supreme Court and
had not been resolved. He did not want to run afoul of the courts. Assuming you
overlook the howling illogic between the first explanation and the second, (they
both can’t be true), I still find McDermott’s response to be cowardly.
If
you hold a belief hold it. Don’t make a half-assed political grandstand
play on national television and then shrink away at the first hint of criticism.
Tell me what you believe Jim. I may not agree with it but I will certainly
respect you a lot more for it.