Incoherent Scribblings

I knew that there had been a big commotion about the Pledge of Allegiance in the American classroom and the phrase “under God,” but didn’t know the details until now. I guess the case is on its way to the Supreme Court.

For those of you who do not know, or need a refresher, the Pledge of Allegiance is as follows:

“I Pledge Allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

The Pledge has undergone quite a few changes since its 1892 introduction, with one of the most significant changes in 1954 when the words “under God” were added. It is these words that are at the center of the case that is going to the Supreme Court.

As a kid, I recited the Pledge of Allegiance every day in school from kindergarten until about 4th grade, but I must say, I never really thought about it. It was merely something that we recited in class every day and I never thought about it as patriotic or religious or anything else for that matter.

The only thing I do remember about saying the Pledge of Allegiance was that there was this kid in my class who always put his hand over the middle of his stomach when we said it, as opposed to on top of his heart, where your hand is supposed to go.

I am not totally clueless or oblivious to what’s going on you know. But sometimes the news gets on my nerves and I boycott it for a few days or I’m just not sure what to say about things.

For example; the terror attack in Spain. I happened to be news-wise that day and so I knew what had happened. I wasn’t sure the ETA was to blame, as was first thought, it just seemed too eerie when I read that it was March 11, 911 days after 9/11, but otherwise I thought that it was sad and horrible. People died, and I express my sympathy to the people whose lives were affected, but I wonder if I am becoming desensitized to these things. A few months ago, there were attacks in Turkey, before that Bali, and before that September 11 (just to name a few) and so when I see (or read) news about another attack, that is what it is becoming for me… just another attack.

The other day, a friend of mine sent me an email asking me to answer the following two questions for a project she is working on:

What is your current job?

What is your dream job?

Currently, I am a housewife (p.c. homemaker) and student of the German language and culture, though a librarian by education and training.

My dream job, however, is to be a world-renowned exotic cat (lions, tigers, ocelots, etc.) veterinarian.

Why? First of all, I like animals, but cats are my favorite. Second of all, when I was a little girl I didn’t dream of being a ballerina or actress or anything girly like that, but a veterinarian. I could never stand to see an animal suffer. (Yes, I was the girl that tried to save the baby bird that fell out of its nest.) Third of all, I always loved the zoo and wanted to work there. Why didn’t I accomplish this dream? Well, I can go into all sorts of ravings about how society discouraged me as a girl away from math and science, which is partly true, but in actuality I was also in love with literature and the library and that is the path I took when I went to college. I guess if I was determined I could still be an exotic cat veterinarian, but it sure seems like a lot of work.

So, dear readers, what is your dream job?