US Judge allows "under god" in the pledge of allegiance

[Guardian85]

Well, which party is generally represented by the color red? 

[Sweetdeath]

This may be a little derailing, but where did this whole reciting of the pledge come from in the first place?

My guess would be it started up during that McCarthy nonsense in the 50s, but I'd have to double check.  I do know a lot of this god-inserting foolishness started up then.

The pledge was written by a Baptist preacher, Francis Bellamy, in the late 19th century (1898 I think).  It was originally written WITHOUT any reference to God.  Over the years, small parts of it changed, but under god wasn't inserted until the 1950s.  This was around the same time In God We Trust was officially declared by Congress to be America's motto.  In God We Trust had been around for a long time, but prior to the 50s wasn't America's motto or on the money. 

You're right, it had a lot to do not necessarily with McCarthy himself, but with the fervor he helped encourage during the early days of the Cold War.  We had to prove we were the polar opposites of the Soviet Union.  Their rulers called themselves Communist?  Communism must be EVIL and we must create perjury traps so we can catch Communists lying about being Communist and throw them in jail.  Their government forced people to give up religion and become atheist?  We must be more religious than religion has ever known!  We must but God on our money and in our schools with a religious-indoctrinating pledge.

I have noticed that in conservative speech and, of course, with certain Fox News commentators like Hannity, they still try to play on the old Cold War feelings and language.  They talk about Communism or Socialism like it's the 1980s.  They throw around the word Socialist like it's a bad, evil thing, instead of just another idea.  They do the same thing with the word atheist.  The atheist socialists are out to destroy America and our way of life.  The only thing missing is that they aren't calling Obama a red, commie bastard.

I just learnt some awesome stuff. Thanks, fester.