That pledge thing has always given me the creeps. I often wondered if it instills some subconscious guilt in Americans whom later in life gave up their citizenship to become citizens elsewhere.

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Comment 8 by 78rpm :

I am old enough to have learned the Pledge before the "Under God" part was added and the teacher had to remind us to say it the new way. But even before then, as a child, I thought rote reciting of such a pledge was jingoistic (although I didn't know to call it that). I had seen newsreels of German children, arms upraised in solidarity with the Nazi movement, saying pledges. Sure, the American Pledge of Allegiance wasn't warlike, but there were similarities that I sensed even then. I didn't then, and I don't now, like the idea of having children in a group being required to recite a daily pledge to a flag, with or without God, Too much like reciting a pledge to Der Fuhrer. I would like to see the whole damn Pledge disappear.