Wednesday, August 20, 2008

The Pledge of Allegiance makes a good ad

Usually, the blog posts I write in my mind are not the blog posts that end up on the blog.
However, this is different.
I helped my son, who is in the fifth grade, look up the origins of the Pledge of Allegiance.
I was shocked at what I found out. Later, I wanted to cry.
Our Pledge was first a sales campaign idea.
A publisher who wanted to sell more subscriptions, gave as an incentive, an American flag to customers.
Later, that premium somehow turned into the Schoolhouse Flag Movement where they wanted to put a flag in every classroom in America. In order to promote that idea, Francis Bellamy came up with a short, 15-second pledge of allegiance. It is different from our current Pledge of Allegiance. It was published in the magazine and was an instant success, according to Wikipedia.com and several other sources.
After it was published, Bellamy criss-crossed the country and spoke to a convention of school superintendents who loved the idea of a flag in every classroom and a pledge to recite. Needless to say the group made a lot of money.
My son is a young Patriot and didn't want to learn anything negative about his country. Even in the fifth grade, he knows this is a great nation. But the assignment was a truth we had to internalize rather quickly.
I would have never guessed the Pledge of Allegiance started out as a sales campaign. I'm idealistic.

I explained to my son that Capitalism is the backbone of this country and without it, America would not have become the superpower it is today.
And that is the truth.
I didn't tell him that it hurt me to find out our Pledge of Allegiance started out as a sales campaign to sell flags to sell magazine subscriptions.
I told him it was a win win win. The flags and the pledge helped bind a young and fragile nation together and ingrained in generations to come, the need to love one's country--America--and that we all have the responsibility to be a good citizen.
I really believe it helped us as a melting pot nation to have one common goal simplified, so that even a child could understand.
And, it exemplifies Capitalism and un-demonizes the word. It is not a sin to earn a living from good ideas.
Good idea, make money, help people live a better life. (I cannot say that the Pet Rock helped me live a better live, though)
Win, win, win.
Still, it did sting to understand that a meaningful oath any Patriot takes seriously started out as a shallow idea to sell flags.
But isn't it funny how God took that idea and turned it into swaddling clothes for a nation?

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Troubled times for actress, Lisa Raye

As found on MediaTakeOut.com, there is trouble in paradise with actress, Lisa Raye and her husband, Premier Michael Misick.

Check out these YouTube videos.




The vast majority of inhabitants of the Turks and Caicos Islands are black and Protestant Christian, according to Wikipedia.com

The official language of the islands is English and the population also speaks Turks and Caicos Islands Creole[9] which is similar to Bahamian Creole.[10]

The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) (pronounced /ˈtɜːks ænd ˈkeɪkəs/) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of two groups of tropical islands in the West Indies, the larger Caicos Islands and the smaller Turks Islands known for tourism and as an offshore financial centre.

They are located southeast of the Bahamas, north of Hispaniola, and 914 kilometres (494 nautical miles) from Miami in the United States. The islands are geographically contiguous to the Bahamas, but are politically a separate entity, an autonomous part of the British Empire.

The islands have a total population of about 30,000, of whom approximately 22,500 live on Providenciales in the Caicos Islands. Cockburn Town, the capital, is situated on Grand Turk Island.
Read more updates, backstory:
Too bad things aren't working out--he's cute.

Monday, August 11, 2008

Ready to Lead, Backed by Millions, Loved by Millions and Our Next President: Barack Obama

Anyone real will tell you--it's better to be loved than to be hated. Which candidate would you rather be at work?

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Paris' energy plan rivals McCain's

(THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU GET, WHAT YOU DESERVE, SEN. MCCAIN!)

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

GOP "take pride in being ignorant"


Obama: Republicans take pride in being ignorant


Finally, the truth be told...
BEREA, Ohio (CNN) – For almost a week, John McCain and his campaign have been mocking Barack Obama’s comments to a voter last week in Missouri when he told her to one way to conserve energy is “making sure your tires are properly inflated.”
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Monday, August 04, 2008

Happy Birthday Barack Obama!

This is a note sent to supporters of Barack:

Yesterday, thousands of Hoosiers came together at Campaign for Change Cookouts across the state.

These Cookouts were full of supporters eager to continue building our movement for change by bringing new friends, family, and neighbors to take an active role with them in this exciting process.

Today, August 4th, is a special day as we continue working towards the November election. It's Barack's 47th birthday, and supporters across Indiana are meeting up at their local Campaign for Change offices and reaching out to 47 voters -- either by attending a phonebank, going door-to-door, or registering 47 new voters -- to celebrate Barack's birthday and grow our movement for change.

Indiana Campaign for Change offices are located all across Indiana, and they've quickly become the go-to meeting place for volunteers and supporters who want to get involved.

Find an office in your area and give Barack a special gift -- your time, energy, and commitment to building this movement for change:

http://in.barackobama.com/INoffices

Happy Birthday President Obama! (wouldn't that be the greatest gift ever--campaign support, votes and the Oval Office!)

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Michelle and Barack Obama talk with Rachel Ray

Obamacons Unite!

I ran across this blog post on Salon.com and just had to highlight the remarks on this day, the Cookout for Change/Barack's Birthday Barbecue Bash!

I work in the insurance industry in downtown Boston. People are staying off the roads in droves thanks to high energy prices and our business is down 40 percent from last year. Since my company has not chosen to diversify its geographic base and since I'm the newest employee in my department and both single and childless, I'm out of a job.
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