https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Bellamy

Francis Julius Bellamy (May 18, 1855 – August 28, 1931) was an American Christian socialist Baptist minister and author.[1] He is best known for writing the original version of the Pledge of Allegiance in 1892.

  • Omega@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    Most of the people who have “we the people” plastered on their car probably don’t realize the preamble to the constitution also says “insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare”.

  • ɔiƚoxɘup@infosec.pub
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    3 days ago

    It was always a tool of indoctrination. As it turns out, if you say something often enough, true or not, you tend to believe it.

    To make it make sense, ask yourself “was this ever really true?” And, of course nothing is perfect, but what I mean to invoke is the idea that perhaps it was never even remotely true.

    • damdy@lemm.ee
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      3 days ago

      Everyone on the outside is definitely wondering what the point was if you guys don’t uphold it.

      We thought it was a nuts ritual before but now it’s just cultish.

  • jballs@sh.itjust.works
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    3 days ago

    If Metallica released their 1988 album And Justice for All today, MAGA would whine and accuse them of going “woke”.

      • jballs@sh.itjust.works
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        3 days ago

        Yeah, I grew up as a huge Megadeth fan. They had a lot of anti-war, anti-religion, anti-establishment lyrics. Imagine my surprise when Dave Mustaine turned out to be a conservative.

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          I think a lot of the classic rock vibe was about being anti-establishment, with little or no care for the actual ideas behind it. MAGA people see themselves as anti-establishment (despite, you know, everything), so it makes sense that a lot of the more superficial classic rock people would adopt it as their persona.

        • pyre@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          me too. huge disappointment, even though i still like his output.

          doing that much drugs and alcohol will inevitably fuck up your head.

      • grue@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        Twisted Sister: “We’re not gonna take it!”

        Narrator: “They did, in fact, continue to take it.”

        • Soggy@lemmy.world
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          Dee Snider at least had the conviction to stand up in front of Congress (Along with John Denver and Frank Zappa) to defend against music censorship (fuck you Tipper Gore). He’s not exactly a radical leftist but he’s been consistently pro-Ukraine and vocally opposed to Trump (and George W. before that)

          • grue@lemmy.world
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            3 days ago

            That’s true; I’m maybe being a little unfair to to the guy. That said, I was thinking more in terms of the song being an anthem for Gen X, and the generation as a whole letting us younger folks down.

          • grue@lemmy.world
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            There’s another '80s song on the tip of my tongue about how Gen X is gonna fix everything that makes me feel distinctly let down every time I hear it these days, but I can’t quite remember. It’s less metal and more pop, kinda halfway between “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “The Way It Is” by Bruce Hornsby, but I don’t think that’s it. Any ideas?

            • samus12345@lemm.ee
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              Not sure. First thing that comes to mind is Land of Confusion:

              I won’t be coming home tonight

              My generation will put it right

              We’re not just making promises

              That we know we’ll never keep

              (Fuckin’ lol) But that was the boomers.

              • grue@lemmy.world
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                Ah, yep, that was the one! I was thinking it might’ve been Phil Collins/Genesis, but when I looked through their discographies I didn’t recognize the title.

                Thanks, not being able to remember was really bothering me.

                But that was the boomers.

                Good point. Still, it was made in the '80s, by which time the Boomers should’ve known better about their [lack of] willingness to fix shit, so I hope you can understand my confusion.

  • auraithx@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    4 days ago

    Every accusation is a confession.

    They’re so hard for patriotism because they themselves are traitorous cunts and they assume everyone is and needs to be kept in line.

    I got in-school suspension for refusing to stand for the pledge, they told the kid from Puerto Rico they’d ship him back on the dingy he sailed in on.

    • XnxCuX@lemmy.world
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      Im still blown away at the amount of our population that doesn’t know puerto rico can come and go to any of the 50 states whenever they want…

    • WR5@lemmy.world
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      Damn, when/where was that? I was raised in Alabama and didn’t stand/recite the pledge a few times in high school around 2010 and didn’t get in trouble for it. Definitely got some snide remarks and looks, but never actually in trouble.

  • corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca
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    3 days ago

    If there is no “liberty and justice for all” then there is no “one nation, indivisible”.

    Time to split.

    • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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      The Constitution is an agreed upon framework of rights and laws in this country. If the executive branch fails to uphold any part of it, you do not have an individual responsibility to follow it. “President” trump has violated the emoluments clause, and should have been impeached immediately. He is attacking birthright citizenship, ignoring court orders, including orders from the Supreme Court. It is the literal definition of unconstitutional.

      At this point the law in America is : Do whatever the fuck you want, as long as you have the guns and propensity for violence to back it up. Most people just haven’t realized it yet. The only way out is for Congress to swiftly (hah) impeach Trump (hah again), put his ass in jail (hah x3) before people start shooting. We may already be too late. This charade has gone on too long.

      • samus12345@lemm.ee
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        3 days ago

        Do whatever the fuck you want, as long as you have the guns and propensity for violence to back it up. you’re wealthy and powerful enough to get away with it.

        Start shooting and you’ll be killed or sent to El Salvador for the rest of your life. The majority of the population would have to act simultaneously to overwhelm the military and law enforcement.

  • duhbasser@lemm.ee
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    “No see, that was before. But now you have to pledge your allegiance to one party.” - Sums up the American experience

  • Maeve@kbin.earth
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    4 days ago

    Interesting read. Most people miss that Jew in the Bible sounded like a Communist. But you already know my version of my faith clashes with the Council of Nicea version, and why.

    Btw, I came across an interesting tidbit this morning in my YT meanderings I didn’t know that I thought may interest you, but didn’t know where to post it. It’s a pamphlet written by a British member of parliament, and distributed in the streets sometime in 1937. I didn’t want to creep you out by popping up in your DM unasked, if you’re interested, I can DM it to you and you can post it if you wish.

  • OBXDadLife@lemmy.world
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    I should have my child add “including immigrants” to the end whenever he says it in school, committee meetings, or Scouts.

    • Bytemeister@lemmy.world
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      Have him leave out the god part. It was added to weed out communists spies from the USSR, because they totally aren’t allowed to lie about being religious…

      Frankly, minus the religion mumbojumbo, the pledge is a great thing to aspire to, especially if you consider the flag a stand-in to represent the rights and freedoms of your countrymen.

  • ArgumentativeMonotheist@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    “Under God” makes entire sense when you remember that, if Americans have ONE shared cultural trait, it’s being morally flexible as long as you get rich. Trying to get rich is the only command they’ll follow, the one thing they’ll all agree upon. And they surely trust in their God printed on green paper, lol.

      • Initiateofthevoid@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        It’s absolutely crazy how new a lot of American cultural norms are, given that they all sound so goddamn old.

        The confederacy is our heritage! It’s our history! You can’t take down these statues and rename these buildings they’re a part of our nation!!!

        Checks notes … Most of America following the civil war was horrified and broken and considered the confederacy a stain on their history. Those statues and names were mostly put up a century after the civil war, after everyone who could remember it was dead. They were specifically constructed as a middle finger / scare tactic by angry white people who were worried that their hegemony was threatened by the Civil Rights Movement.

        America is a Christian nation!!! One nation, under God! In God we trust! The Bible belongs in our schools next to the Constitution!"

        Checks notes… The authors of the constitution - including the practicing christians! - were adamant that an officially recognized state religion would be an existential threat to democracy. Any elevation of any religion in government is a death sentence to freedom and liberty. The addition of “God” to our Pledge and our currency was also only 70 years ago, and was also a scare tactic by angry white people who were worried that their hegemony was threatened by other ethnicities and cultures.

      • XnxCuX@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        Thank you for this, had no idea.

        Yes im serious idk how reddit like this is so I’ll clarify that for now lol

  • Midnight Wolf@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    I was skeptical about the poa by the 3rd grade. By the 5th, I was singing the Canadian anthem, because fuck this bullshit. By hs I wasn’t even standing, just sitting at my desk with that deeply annoyed look you get from customers waiting while the person in front of them takes 10 minutes to complete their transaction, and they pull out an expired coupon and their checkbook.

    E: thanks autocorrect

    • Ruxias@lemmy.world
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      In practice, it’s the “Just Us” system. The reality of this is just laid more bare in recent years.

  • subignition@fedia.io
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    Focus on the Undergod?

    Ỉ̴͓̲̤̪̼͑̉͐̋̓͛̚͞_̠͈a̖̬͉̼̲̮̲͉̣̘ͦ̄ͩ̐̂!̴͓͍̾͂̈́̕ I̴̠̮̲̮̼ͬ̇̄ͫͮ́́̾ͮͣͯ́ͯͦͧ͑͘͠a̢̢̽ͦ̍͛͟͡͡!͓̩̞͚̥͚̣̰̠͚̱̙̖̪̊ͫ̍́́̋̇̾̓ͪ̃̑̅̌͐͢͡ C̷̢̬̘̝̿ͯ͑̎t̵̙̦̟̳̥̬̣̩̺̞̾͂̀̂ͥ̆ͪ͗́̂̄͌ͪ̄͢͞͝͠͞͡h̢̧̜̲̫̞̺͓̬̹͓́ͦͪͬ͋̿̍̈́̍͆͑̐̒̑ͤ̅͑̽́ͤ̽̒̚͠u̶̷̶̟͎̣̹̹̼̭̥͇̳͚͕̟͇͍̿ͦ̂͂̀̐̉ͪͤ̀̈́͌̓͘͢͜͞͡͡͡ͅl̵̛̘̿̏̑ͨ͠ḥ̛̛̪̝̭̐̔̕͝͞͠u_̴̡̢̮̯̜̩̱̥͉̱̫͚̼̤͇͖̹̭ͭͯ̈̄ͦ̒̈̑̒ͧ̔̌̚͢͟͞ f̢̡̬͔̫̗̈͒̿͒̎̌ț̊ͥ̇ă̙̮̙͗͑̈̆́͢g̺̙͇̝͚̠͈̻̺̘͑̅̇̎͂̈́͋̓͜͟ḥ̥n̘͘_̶̩͎̈́̉ͭ̃͌͑!̸̛̲̗̲̲̯̫͔͔̉̉͊̄͋̔̈́́̿

    • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
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      4 days ago

      “For all”, at least by American conservative estimates, would seem to fall under their label of dangerous socialist ideas.

  • eldavi@lemmy.ml
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    It will never make sense so long as you keep believing that it’s either democrats or republicans.

    • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
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      Cool, I hope you’re working on the party outreach and actual organization and paperwork of your local third party of choice, because now’s the fucking time if you think voting for Dems or the GOP are indistinguishable. Or stocking up on molotovs. Or doing literally anything other than your best to sabotage the evil shitlibs without any alternative in place.

      • eldavi@lemmy.ml
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        The shitlibs are sabotaging themselves and the barest of minimums are already put me above head and shoulders above the most outspoken of them

        • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
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          The shitlibs are sabotaging themselves and the barest of minimums are already put me above head and shoulders above the most outspoken of them

          So that’s a ‘no’, then. Great. Glad to see we’ve learned absolutely nothing from the past 7 months.

          • eldavi@lemmy.ml
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            It’s been happening for the last 50+years and my actions have guaranteed a spot a good spot in the afterlife (if I believed in such nonsense) what have you done besides spreading liberal foolishness?

            • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
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              It’s been happening for the last 50+years and my actions have guaranteed a spot a good spot in the afterlife (if I believed in such nonsense)

              Thank you for demonstrating exactly the kind of attitude I’ve criticized privileged Very Serious Leftists for repeatedly on here.

              • eldavi@lemmy.ml
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                Yes, I hope your invisible sky daddy gives you the afterlife you deserve

                • PugJesus@lemmy.worldOP
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                  Keep on with your performative politics in the Christian tradition of saving one’s soul, whilst actually saving none of the marginalized groups you claim to oh-so-strongly support.