Write the White House

The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Commentary on the Pledge of Allegiance
by Red Skelton

As a schoolboy, one of Red Skelton's teachers explained the words and meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance to his class. Skelton later wrote down, and eventually recorded, his recollection of this lecture. It is followed by an observation of his own.

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 is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts, Freedom is everybody's job.

United - - That means that we have all come together.

States - - Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose. All divided with imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common purpose, and that is love for country.

And to the Republic - - 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.

For which it stands

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.

And now, boys and girls, let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance:

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands; one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

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?

Red Skelton

Organize Snow Shoveling Brigades where the snow flies heavily and often, councils and districts may provide a much needed service by organizing units to keep fire hydrants cleared during the winter. This is a most helpful project, because the clearing of hydrants saves valuable time for firefighters responding to alarms and can be responsible for saving lives.

Each unit is assigned one or two hydrants, and whenever it snows, a Scout promptly reports to clear the hydrants. Assignments might also be made to clear snow from the homes of senior citizens and shut-ins.

Often after a fire, flood, or other disaster many people will be without sufficient clothing. Generally, local authorities coordinate a campaign to get used clothing in serviceable condition for distribution to the victims. Councils and districts should cooperate with local authorities and not attempt to set up an independent project.

A natural follow-up to registration campaign is an effort to get every eligible voter to vote. This calls for an educational and promotional campaign aimed at reminding citizens of their right and duty to vote. The campaign must be non-partisan. Before the election distribute get-out-the-vote materials. On election day, Scouts may be stationed outside polling places to "baby-sit" young children, hold packages, assist elderly or handicapped people, and provide "I have voted" badges to voters, leaving them as a reminder to others.

In cooperation with fire departments, install amber reflectors (or other distinctive devices) over the front doors of homes where handicapped persons live. Then if a fire breaks out, the firefighters will know immediately that a handicapped person lives there. A similar device may be placed on the door of the person's bedroom to help firefighters find it in an emergency.

Fire departments generally provide big "I" insignia, usually placed on the front downstairs window near the door or on the glass of the front door. A similar device is placed on the window of the invalid's room. Caution: Be sure you have approval of everyone living in that home before you place markers.

In many communities, new and used but still usable toys are collected for distribution to needy children at Christmas. Units may assist by making pickups of toys, making posters to advertise the campaign, helping to stockpile toys, cleaning and repairing used toys, and delivering toys to the agencies that distribute them to poor children. Each youth member may also be asked to contribute one usable toy. If your community does not have a Christmas toy collection, such as Toys for Tots Collection, and if agencies serving the poor agree that it would be a valuable service, your council or district might spearhead such a campaign. This means creating a detailed plan, cooperating with other organizations that want to participate, and selecting a coordinator, who must spend a great deal of time supervising the project.

Materials found at the U. S. Scouting Service Project, Inc. Website ©1997-2001 may be reproduced and used locally by Scouting volunteers for training purposes consistent with the programs of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) or other Scouting and Guiding Organizations. No material found here may be used or reproduced for electronic redistribution or for commercial or other non-Scouting purposes without the express permission of the U. S. Scouting Service Project, Inc. (USSSP) or other copyright holders. USSSP is not affiliated with BSA and does not speak on behalf of BSA. Opinions expressed on these web pages are those of the web authors.