(From the Red Skelton Hour, January 14, 1969)
I — me, an individual, a committee of one.
Pledge — dedicate all of my worldly goods to give without self-pity.
Allegiance — my love and my devotion.
To the Flag — our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom. Wherever she waves, there’s respect because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts freedom is everybody’s job.
[of the] United — that means that we have all come together.
States [of America] — individual communities that have united into 48 great states. 48 individual American communities with pride and dignity and purpose, all divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that’s love for country.
And to the Republic For Which It Stands — Republic: a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern. And government is the people and it’s from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people.
One Nation — One Nation … Meaning, so blessed by God.
Indivisible — incapable of being divided.
With Liberty — which is freedom, the right of power to live one’s own life, without threats, fear, or some sort of retaliation.
And Justice — the principle or qualities of dealing fairly with others.
For All — For all which means, boys and girls, it’s as much your country as it is mine.
Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance — “under God.”Wouldn’t it be a pity if someone said, “That is a prayer,” and that would be eliminated from schools, too?