Here’s what it should read:
I pledge allegiance to the Constitution
of the United States of America,
And to the confederation of sovereign states it created,
Under God, with liberty for a republican form of government for all.
Flag:
While it is entirely proper to honor the flag we pledge allegiance to the Constitution. If the flag (representing the political entity we call the USA) usurps the Constitution to a serious enough degree our allegiance to the Constitution requires us to withdraw our allegiance to the political entity in defense of the Constitution so that we may re-establish the political entity back inline with the Constitution.
Republic for which it stands:
The flag does not stand for a republic as we are not a singular republic. We are a confederation of sovereign republican states united in some but not all ways by the Constitution.
One nation: Again we are not one nation, we are a confederation of sovereign republican states that delegated a handful of specifically enumerated powers such as the power to conduct a common foreign policy under the terms of the Constitution to a federal government. In terms of our foreign relations our confederation functions as “one nation” vis a vis the rest of the world, but that does not make us “one nation” in terms of what we fundamentally are.
Indivisible:
Although some might claim that the 1861-65 Civil War/War Between the States settled this issue in the affirmative based upon the principle of “might makes right,” in philosophical and constitutional terms it is extremely hard to make a compelling argument that the confederation of sovereign states created by the ratification of the Constitution is necessarily indivisible unless one is willing to champion the idea (a la Chief Justice John Marshall) that the states were never sovereign in the first place... or that the federal government has the right to be the sole arbiter of when it has broken the compact (Constitution) with the states.
Justice:
Although justice as defined by equality under the law is a perfectly laudable ideal, the term justice as it has been largely defined since the progressive movement has become synonymous with the idea of “social justice,” which is merely a euphemism for the collectivist idea of government enforced material equality which can of course only be created (like it could actually be created anyway) at liberty’s expense.
We got the flawed original version of the pledge because it was written by a progressive socialist... and if the modern left actually realized this and/or knew their history they might actually like to say it. Me, I recite the pledge in spite of its flaws while in my heart knowing that I am primarily pledging allegiance to the Constitution and the principles of the founding fathers most epitomized by Thomas Jefferson’s assertion that we are all created equal and endowed by our creator with inalienable rights.
Oops. I messed up that last line:
I pledge allegiance to the Constitution
of the United States of America,
And to the confederation of sovereign states it created,
Under God, with liberty and a republican form of government for all.
i have always wondered why we pledge our allegiance to a piece of fabric. we should pledge our allegiance to the country, or the constitution, but not fabric. i realize the flag is a symbol of our country, however the country itself or the constitution which created the country is more important. jmho.