The pledge was devised by Francis Bellamy in 1892. In 1954, the words "under God" were added. Those words are an affront to many Americans, some of whom serve or have served their country and/or communities. That was about the time "in God We Trust" was put onto American currency and coins. We are a diverse nation. Not all of us are theists. We'd do well to keep that in mind.

When I went to grade school in the 1960s, we said the Pledge of Allegiance and a prayer every day before class. We did not just say the words, we had to know what we said. It does not say "one nation ruled by god" it says "under God." Freedom and justice for all not just a few The thinking of our youth seems to undermine how this country was built. They just care about their views and tot hell with everybody else. It does not work; never will.

It was clear to me the minute I read this letter to the editor that there would be much in the way of comment. A couple of things strike me. First, I'm SO glad that so far no one has personally attacked the young man who wrote his opinion. His right to speak has been respected. Kudos, readers. Second, I am struck by DTOM's comment "this is what colleges teach now?" What we are witnessing in this opinion piece is an example of one young man's coming to a conclusion about an issue after going through a deliberate thought process. In other words, he has used critical thinking skills, skills we try to teach as parents, skills we try to teach in public schools, and skills that should be refined by those who attend college or university. The thoughts and ideas of any young person who has taken time to evaluate a personal position on an issue should be encouraged, especially if we don't agree with his or her conclusions. That young person will go through that process over and over again throughout life on a myriad of issues, often reversing course over time. So little time and effort is given anymore to developing critical thinking skills. So many college syllabi are challenged by parents of incoming freshmen as to alarm the likes of me. And some colleges are caving under the pressure. Controversial books are removed from course requirements because parents don't want their fragile children exposed to ideas that push back on the status quo. In doing so, they deprive their children of the learning opportunities created by exposure to diverse philosophies and -isms. Jon Seymour is one young person who, after weighing opposing ideas, has formed an opinion and has shown the courage to express himself publicly. To that I say, keep on thinking and pushing the intellectual envelope.