Steve Chapman had it right when he condemned the compulsory reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance (Op-Ed, June 7).
There is, however, a more important reason for objecting to the phrase “under God” in the pledge than the fact that atheists do not believe in God. It is that we are clearly not a “nation under God.” How can one believe that phrase to be true when our country supports covert operations against foreign governments, when corporations destroy lives of families by “downsizing” so a few can increase their incomes, when the government pretends that the Labor Department figures for unemployment represent real unemployment rather than the number of people applying for unemployment compensation, when the health and welfare of those least able to fend for themselves become political pawns in the hands of political parties?
As it stands, the Pledge of Allegiance is seriously flawed. The honest thing to do is eliminate the “under God” phrase.
