John Mccain's Remarks About The Pledge Of Allegiance

**ZECH** · 01-22-2007, 08:27 AM

In light of the recent appeals court ruling in California, with respect to the Pledge of Allegiance, the following recollection from Senator John McCain is very appropriate:
"The Pledge of Allegiance" - by Senator John McCain
As you may know, I spent five and one half years as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War. In the early years of our imprisonment, the NVA kept us in solitary confinement or two or three to a cell. In 1971 the NVA moved us from these conditions of isolation into large rooms with as many as 30 to 40 men to a room.

This was, as you can imagine, a wonderful change and was a direct result of the efforts of millions of Americans on behalf of a few hundred POWs 10,000 miles from home.
One of the men who moved into my room was a young man named Mike Christian.
Mike came from a small town near Selma, Alabama. He didn't wear a pair of shoes until he was 13 years old. At 17, he enlisted in the US Navy. He later earned a commission by going to Officer Training School Then he became a Naval Flight Officer and was shot down and captured in 1967. Mike had a keen and deep appreciation of the opportunities this country and our military provide for people who want to work and want to succeed.

As part of the change in treatment, the Vietnamese allowed some prisoners to receive packages from home. In some of these packages were handkerchiefs, scarves and other items of clothing.
Mike got himself a bamboo needle. Over a period of a couple of months, he created an American flag and sewed on the inside of his shirt.
Every afternoon, before we had a bowl of soup, we would hang Mike's shirt on the wall of the cell and say the Pledge of Allegiance.

I know the Pledge of Allegiance may not seem the most important part of our day now, but I can assure you that in that stark cell it was indeed the most important and meaningful event.
One day the Vietnamese searched our cell, as they did periodically, and discovered Mike's shirt with the flag sewn inside, and removed it.

That evening they returned, opened the door of the cell, and for the benefit of all of us, beat Mike Christian severely for the next couple of hours. Then, they opened the door of the cell and threw him in. We cleaned him up as well as we could.

The cell in which we lived had a concrete slab in the middle on which we slept. Four naked light bulbs hung in each corner of the room.

As I said, we tried to clean up Mike as well as we could. After the excitement died down, I looked in the corner of the room, and sitting there beneath that dim light bulb with a piece of red cloth, another shirt and his bamboo needle, was my friend, Mike Christian. He was sitting there with his eyes almost shut from the beating he had received, making another American flag. He was not making the flag because it made Mike Christian feel better. He was making that flag because he knew how important it was to us to be able to Pledge our allegiance to our flag and country.

So the next time you say the Pledge of Allegiance, you must never forget the sacrifice and courage that thousands of Americans have made to build our nation and promote freedom around the world.
You must remember our duty, our honor, and our country

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

**KelJu** · 01-22-2007, 08:43 AM

I don't believe a word of it.

However, I do respect McCain. I will probably vote for him in 2008.

**BigDyl** · 01-22-2007, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by KelJu

I don't believe a word of it.

However, I do respect McCain. I will probably vote for him in 2008.

Why vote republican?

**KelJu** · 01-22-2007, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by BigDyl

Why vote republican?

They have the best candidate as of now. I wish I better people to choose from, but I don't.

**BigDyl** · 01-22-2007, 10:34 AM

Originally Posted by KelJu

I don't believe a word of it.

However, I do respect McCain. I will probably vote for him in 2008.

I don't believe that speech either btw.

**BigDyl** · 01-22-2007, 10:35 AM

Originally Posted by KelJu

They have the best candidate as of now. I wish I better people to choose from, but I don't.

You don't like obama or nader?

**tucker01** · 01-22-2007, 10:39 AM

Why vote Bigdyl

**KelJu** · 01-22-2007, 11:38 AM

Originally Posted by BigDyl

You don't like obama or nader?

Nader is the shit, but has no hope of winning. I really would like to see him run for the democrates, then I would vote for him.

I also like Obama, but he is a little too socialist for me.

Ok, there are better candidates, but they haven’t a snowball chance in hell of winning in 2008. They might have a better change later, but I just don't see it happening in 2008.

**Jodi** · 01-22-2007, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by KelJu

Nader is the shit, but has no hope of winning. I really would like to see him run for the democrates, then I would vote for him.

I also like Obama, but he is a little too socialist for me.

Ok, there are better candidates, but they haven’t a snowball chance in hell of winning in 2008. They might have a better change later, but I just don't see it happening in 2008.

So you vote for the one that has the better chance of winning?

**KelJu** · 01-22-2007, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by Jodi

So you vote for the one that has the better chance of winning?

I vote for the best one that has a chance of winning. People voting for Nader is why Bush won. Now just look at the fucking mess that caused.

**Jodi** · 01-22-2007, 12:19 PM

As much as I agree with you saying its a mess with Bush, I still feel that voting should be done by what and who you believe in most and not who has the best chance. JMHO

**BigDyl** · 01-22-2007, 12:43 PM

Originally Posted by Jodi

As much as I agree with you saying its a mess with Bush, I still feel that voting should be done by what and who you believe in most and not who has the best chance. JMHO

Then you agree with me, and disagree with 99% of the people on here like DOMS and DG, pepper, etc etc etc

**KelJu** · 01-22-2007, 01:02 PM

Originally Posted by Jodi

As much as I agree with you saying its a mess with Bush, I still feel that voting should be done by what and who you believe in most and not who has the best chance. JMHO

What you are saying is morally and ethically correct, but unrealistic.

Its tough. I try to find a balance between what is smart and what is right. Those two things rarely ever end up in the same boat. We all have to stop and think for a minute whether we are letting our emotions override our rational thinking.

Voting for Nader put Bush into power.

Emotional: The people who voted for Nader were doing their part to elect the best candidate possible.

Rational: By doing so, they insured the victory of the worst candidate.

This stuff gets confusing as hell. I go back and forth back and forth. I will probably change my mind 20 times before the 2008 elections. Do I make the right decision, or do I make the smart decision?

**BigDyl** · 01-22-2007, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by KelJu

What you are saying is morally and ethically correct, but unrealistic.

Its tough. I try to find a balance between what is smart and what is right. Those two things rarely ever end up in the same boat. We all have to stop and think for a minute whether we are letting our emotions override our rational thinking.

Voting for Nader put Bush into power.

Emotional: The people who voted for Nader were doing their part to elect the best candidate possible.

Rational: By doing so, they insured the victory of the worst candidate.

This stuff gets confusing as hell. I go back and forth back and forth. I will probably change my mind 20 times before the 2008 elections. Do I make the right decision, or do I make the smart decision?

Technically Diebold put Bush in power.

**Jodi** · 01-22-2007, 01:13 PM

I will take the results of the outcome no matter how much they suck, such as Bush winning 2 years ago

, but I could never live myself if I voted for someone that wasn't the best choice. Maybe I take it too seriously but if I don't vote for my beliefs than I'm just a liar like most the of candidates.

**KelJu** · 01-22-2007, 01:15 PM

Originally Posted by Jodi

I will take the results of the outcome no matter how much they suck, such as Bush winning 2 years ago

, but I could never live myself if I voted for someone that wasn't the best choice. Maybe I take it too seriously but if I don't vote for my beliefs than I'm just a liar like most the of candidates.

Thanks for reminding me that I am an ass!

**BigDyl** · 01-22-2007, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by KelJu

Thanks for reminding me that I am an ass!

**Decker** · 01-22-2007, 01:36 PM

Jeez dg, where do you find this stuff?

As for voting for McCain, look what the democrats have done in the last week in the House and then formulate a conclusion about the candidates:

"Among the bills passed this week was a boost to the federal minimum wage, an expansion of embryonic stem-cell research, a law allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug companies, a cut in student-loan interest rates, an implementation of port security rules, a move to recoup billions of dollars in lost royalties from oil and gas companies, and a rollback of tax breaks for that industry." http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011907R.shtml

**Jodi** · 01-22-2007, 01:42 PM

Originally Posted by KelJu

Thanks for reminding me that I am an ass!

I didn't mean it like that. I was just stating my opinion on it.

**KelJu** · 01-22-2007, 01:43 PM

The democrates also seem to be renigging on their promise to get us out of Iraq.

**Yanick** · 01-22-2007, 02:30 PM

he forgot about the part when rambo killed the russian soldiers, freed the POWs and tried to make an escape in the helicopter.

**BigDyl** · 01-22-2007, 02:59 PM

Originally Posted by Decker

Jeez dg, where do you find this stuff?

As for voting for McCain, look what the democrats have done in the last week in the House and then formulate a conclusion about the candidates:

"Among the bills passed this week was a boost to the federal minimum wage, an expansion of embryonic stem-cell research, a law allowing Medicare to negotiate with drug companies, a cut in student-loan interest rates, an implementation of port security rules, a move to recoup billions of dollars in lost royalties from oil and gas companies, and a rollback of tax breaks for that industry." http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011907R.shtml

In DG's defense, I think he means well.

**BigDyl** · 01-22-2007, 03:00 PM

Originally Posted by Yanick

he forgot about the part when rambo killed the russian soldiers, freed the POWs and tried to make an escape in the helicopter.

He also left out the part where yanick single handidly discovers that humans have 0% effect on global warming.

**Yanick** · 01-22-2007, 03:16 PM

Originally Posted by BigDyl

He also left out the part where yanick single handidly discovers that humans have 0% effect on global warming.

you need to get laid.

**DOMS** · 01-22-2007, 03:48 PM

**goandykid** · 01-22-2007, 05:03 PM

I love Mccain.

I'll vote for either Obama or Mccain (2 best candidates IMHO), whichever wins their primary. If they both manage to win, I'll need some convincging.

**fufu** · 01-22-2007, 05:04 PM

Originally Posted by KelJu

Thanks for reminding me that I am an ass!

What both you and Jodi said is important but I think you take a more rational standpoint.

**ZECH** · 01-22-2007, 05:16 PM

Originally Posted by BigDyl

In DG's defense, I think he means well.

I do it to get on Decker's nerves

Nah, actually I got it in an email. Oh Decker, check out the new thread about Polosi and the house voting rules.

**BigDyl** · 01-22-2007, 06:31 PM

Originally Posted by Yanick

you need to get laid.

Is that an offer?

**Pianomahnn** · 01-22-2007, 09:13 PM

Originally Posted by BigDyl

Why vote republican?

Senator McCain is far, far from similar to the Republican in office currently. While I won't vote for McCain should he make it that far, if someone does vote for him they won't be voting Republican. They will be voting for a genuine, honest, intelligent, Nation loving, and well intentioned person. I have a great deal of respect for the Senator.

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