"...One Nation, Indivisible..."

This morning I got to school and stopped in the room of a 5th grade teacher to bring him some Halloween treats. He's a single father of a grown daughter, so no longer has the joy of raiding his kid's Halloween stash. I didn't raid my kids' stash, but I make them give away a certain amount of candy to The Great Pumpkin. This is our Halloween tradition. He takes candy and leaves each girl a present (I think they still believe in him. But, they are wiser and now only get rid of the yucky candy). I had a small bag of flavored tootsie rolls for him, which I knew he liked.

Anyway, we were visiting about candy and Halloween, and I was sharing my "Exmention Extantion" story-which is classic! Then he proudly tells me that he will be leading the school in the Pledge of Allegiance this morning.

Now, my wonderful principal, whom I love, leads the school in the pledge every morning. She goes to a different room each morning to do a "live broadcast" over the intercom. So I was surprised by his comment. I thought perhaps she was going to be out, and so he volunteered to take her place. But that was not the case.

"She doesn't say it right," he smugly told me. "She pauses after saying 'one nation.' There is no comma there. It is one sentence: One nation under God. So I was telling her this, and she told me to lead it." This is a very religious guy, by the way...

"Hmmm..." I said. "I don't even say 'Under God.' Our forefathers didn't feel the need to put it there. It was added to the pledge in the 50s, I believe." Well, he was positive that I was not correct. "From what I understand," I continued, "it was added during the Cold War."

He still did not believe me, and had to Google/Ask.com it for himself. Sure enough, I was right (god, I love it when I'm right!). Still, he was leading pledge.

Later I saw my beloved principal. "Be careful," I warned, "or he'll be leading the school in morning prayer as well!"

Then I joked about the Seinfeld episode where Elaine finds out that Putty is religious. "...You stole my Jesus fish..."