] The Christian priesthood, finding the doctrines of Christ
] leveled to every understanding and too plain to need
] explanation, saw, in the mysticisms of Plato, materials with
] which they might build up an artificial system which might,
] from its indistinctness, admit everlasting controversy, give
] employment for their order, and introduce it to profit, power,
] and pre-eminence. The doctrines which flowed from the lips
] of Jesus himself are within the comprehension of a child; but
] thousands of volumes have not yet explained the Platonisms
] engrafted on them: and for this obvious reason that nonsense
] can never be explained." -Thomas Jefferson

A very interesting and angry discussion on Slashdot about the Pledge case. Thought I'd bring it over here and see what people have to say. CNN's take is rather propagandist. In general, I find this subject to be messy. I think its obvious why the words "under god" have been added to the pledge, and I think its obvious that it was illegal to do it. However, three generations have now been raised bleating those words out every morning in a practice that I objected to as a child simply because it is the most obvious sort of brainwashing. Those people are no more likely to be able to look critically and rationally upon the words of their pledge then a Frenchman is to discard his native tongue. Could we not start by having schools which do not include these words in the pledge, or better yet, to not pledge at all? Does it make sense to confront America with its most ingrained irrational convictions directly? Is this going to be productive?

Slashdot | Supreme Court Will Hear Pledge of Allegiance Case