JOSE, CAN YOU SEE?

July 4, 2011:

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... all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.
[Extract, Article VI, Constitution of the United States of America.]


As Independence Day is celebrated this year, there will be, of course, a lot of emphasis on pledging allegiance to the US flag and singing the "Star-Spangled Banner," a song that was written during the Battle of Baltimore Harbor during the War of 1812. As elementary schoolchildren some 55 years ago, my classmates and I were assured that Betsy Ross had made for the Founders the first American flag with the circle of 13 stars. Unfortunately, that is not true.

There was no "official" US flag at the time of the adoption of the US Constitution, about 13 years and a Revolutionary War after the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia on this date in 1776. A majority of the Founders was apprehensive about the notion of citizens pledging their loyalty to ANYTHING other than the Constitution itself, so Article VI was thus included. Since that time, it has become fashionable to insist that newly naturalized citizens and politicians (and most others) prove their loyalty to the United States from time to time by publicly pledging allegiance to the flag. A photo of Barack Obama has recently been widely circulated in e-mails showing him failing to cover his heart with his right hand when singing the National Anthem, thus "proving" he is really unpatriotic and is probably a Muslim born in Africa to boot! I recall that the Congress in the mid-1950's even added the "under God" phrase to the Pledge in the naȉve hope of weeding out or exposing atheistic (godless) Communists who, presumably, would not thus pledge. I duly recited that Pledge both ways, before and after. My personal morality was not the least bit improved thereby!

It seems that the limitation of Article VI to pledging loyalty to the Constitution is similar to the injunction handed down by Moses to the Israelites in the Ten Commandments to worship no "graven image," the idea being that their deity, Yahweh, should not be framed or depicted or limited by some human-fashioned object or symbol. Yahweh was considered much bigger than any of that. So, too, are the abstract concepts contained in the US Constitution much more profound than the constraints of the human mind, so there arguably should not be demanded of anyone a conflicting pledge of loyalty or "allegiance" to a (mere) piece of cloth or symbol depicting a flag. The concepts of the Constitution powerfully transcend such objects and symbols.

It also seems that, these days, some are more respectful of and loyal to the "flag" than respectful of and loyal to the Constitution, ESPECIALLY the Bill of Rights, which is an integral part of the US Constitution. These days, few American politicians enthusiastically embrace the Bill of Rights, though most will enthusiastically pledge their allegiance to the flag! Under the First Amendment, one may certainly pledge anything one wishes to a piece of cloth or symbol (or not), but one of the first official acts enabled by Adolf Hitler after he was named Chancellor of Germany in the early 1930's was to criminalize "desecration" of the Hakkenkreuz (swastika), the official symbol of the Nazi Party and later identified with the country itself!

Now, I am not here equating the inherent evil of the Nazi swastika with the American flag, but I do believe that it is unwise to pledge one's loyalty (or allegiance) to an object or symbol, because such things have a way of changing in their significance and meaning over time. These days, the American flag is genuinely regarded by most as a symbol of freedom, courage and truth, and I would not suggest anything to the contrary. But, none of us know what the American flag may come to represent 100 years from now. Pledging one's loyalty to the concepts and principles set forth in the US Constitution is a much more powerful, immutable standard to live by and swear by, unlikely to change in meaning with time.

So, on this date, when the burgers and weenies are sizzling on the grill and the fireworks start to pop, it may be useful to contemplate what a remarkable, amazing document is the US Constitution. At some point, each of us should quietly affirm his or her "pledge" of loyalty and allegiance to the US Constitution and Bill of Rights and be sincerely grateful to be an American, governed thereby.