Not just the flag,..
When I was a wee nipper I was forced to endure three years at the hands of the American "education" system, before my parents saw sense and beat a hasty retreat back to a civilised country.

Every morning, without fail, we had to recite both the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem, like so many lobotomised sheep. Even me, despite the fact that I wasn't an American citizen. When my parents found out they went barmy and protested to the Principal (less-civilised version of a Headmaster) that this was simply not on. Faced with the ire of two parents who were In The Right, the Principal backed down on the Pledge of Allegiance. From that day forth, I stood with the rest of the class, as a mark of respect for the idiotic beliefs on display, but didn't have to robotically recite "Ipledgeallegiancetotheflagoftheunitedstatesofamericaandtotherepublicforwhichitstandsonenationundergodindivisiblewithlibertyandjusticeforthosewhocanaffordthelawyersfees".

Good grief, even thirty years later I can still remember the words. I guess brainwashing really does work.
( flake has nothing against your right leg, Tue 16 Nov 2010, 18:13, Reply)