Listen to this essay:
I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America.
If you attended US public grade schools, then you almost certainly recited the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of each day. It is a verse so etched into our cerebral cortexes, even dementia finds it hard pressed to dislodge. (About 87% of American adults can still recite some or all of the pledge, according to YouGov.)
This vow is an artifact from our youths, its ceremonial value displaced by spirited anthems like the “Star Spangled Banner” and “God Bless America” for public events. Still, I’ve been meditating on its purpose and meaning recently, in light of current times in America.
Getting kids to recite this patriotic pledge daily serves to remind them
1. of a steadfast fidelity,
2. to a flag and country,
3. and the strong moral and democratic values for which it stands.
The pledge says nothing about America’s beauty and bounty (GBM covers that in spades) nor American’s valor and bravery (the domain of the SPB). It also makes no mention of historic leaders, inspiring heroes, or the royal divine (cue up “God Save the King”).
It is, instead, a short but profound oath to a flag and all that this simple piece of cloth symbolizes.
America is under assault. One man and a cabal of loyalists have infested the White House, bent on subverting American democracy into an authoritarian, mafia state and family cash machine. Hungary and Russia provide helpful DIY playbooks, and indeed their tyrants have been singled out for praise often by the aspiring despot. Team T’s agenda is enabled by a complete lack of spine on the part of our elected bulwark, compromised by higher priorities, it seems, than saving the nation.
To be fair, there has been no subterfuge as to the motives and objects of Team T. Transparency defined their election platform and early governance. They even published a 900 page manifesto – Project 2025 – laying out in clear detail the group’s ideology and intentions, should there be any confusion. (I like to consider it Stephen Miller’s little Mein Kompf moment.) And so for the citizens who continue to defend Trump, elected officials who refuse to check Trump, and corporate titans who stand behind Trump, your allegiances are clear.
Family heroes
My Canadian grandfather fought in the trenches of WWI. Two uncles fought in the Pacific campaign of WWII; one took a bullet. I live in France now, where a heroic underground resisted Nazi occupiers. My ex-wife’s father took tremendous risk, particularly as a Jew, to be a member of this Resistance in Paris. Knowing that our ancestors, when called, fought with the good guys is a respected badge of family honor. To share that one’s forbears aided and abetted the enemy? Not so good.
This is such a time in America. An existential threat to the nation has been spun in motion. It is interesting (and in many instances, confusing) to see where allegiances have formed. A record of this moment will be shared in family myths for generations to come. Are you standing beside the stalwart Jimmy Stewart in “Who Shot Liberty Valance,” or behind the sadistic Lee Marvin? This choice is being forced upon us.
Allegiances made
To Danielle Sassoon and the 6 federal prosecutors who resigned rather than acquiesce to Team T’s corruption of the investigation of New York City mayor Eric Adams, your allegiances are clear. It would have been easy to stay employed, arguing that someone with some level of integrity needed to remain in the building. Instead, when asked to kneel in fealty you stood with fists high and shouted a resounding Fuck No! Hagan Scott put a fine point on the collective refusal to obey: “I expect you will eventually find someone who is enough of a fool, or enough of a coward, to file your motion, but it was never going to be me.” Your children and grandchildren will long sing your praises. You are all to be saluted for your allegiances to the flag. (If passing through Provence, a first glass of rosé is on me.)
To the current class of Republican Senators, your allegiances are clear. For some of you, it is to the convicted felon himself. For others, it is to the affluence and entitlement that comes with your seats. For none of you, is it to the flag and your nation, as evidenced in your votes. When not cheerleading Team T for crumbs of favor, you have enabled them time and again, certifying en mass and without exception the most unqualified of stooges like Hegseth, Kennedy, Patel, Gabbert, and Vought, who have openly collaborated with our enemies, disparaged our allies, shown shocking levels of ignorance in the face of proven science, and made clear their intentions to inflict grave harm to our constitutional foundations. You still voted Yea. Your children and grandchildren will avoid talk of the cowardice displayed when the nation called. You will be the shamed women of France who consorted with the enemy, paraded through cobblestone streets with heads shaved after the retreat of the Reich. History will not be kind.
To Speaker Johnson and the current slate of House Republicans, … no need to discuss. Apparently, there is no shame.
To Zuckerberg, Bezos, Zi Chew, Cook, Altman, Pichai, Nadella, and the other billionaire titans of tech and industry who joined Musk on the Trump stage for inauguration day, your allegiances are clear. It would be kind to say that it is to your shareholders. A less generous judgement would opine that each of you prioritizes one shareholder in particular. I do understand your dilemma. Most of us embraced Friedman and his doctrine that all boats are lifted – shareholders, employees, and customers, alike – when corporate profits are maximized, in stable times. These are not stable times (and Friedman’s doctrine has not aged well) . Each of you has more wealth in cash and shares than you could possibly spend in 10 lifetimes. Your grandchildren’s grandchildren are covered. When weighing your fiduciary responsibilities and personal abundance against the destruction of American democracy, how much is enough? You have achieved great things, but your legacies will be forever tainted by a condemning asterisk: “*Avowed champion of Donald Trump and his ruinous 47th presidency.”
(By the way, Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia - with a larger market capitalisation than Facebook, Amazon, Google, and all but 2 of your companies - declined the inauguration invite, opting to celebrate Chinese New Year in Asia instead. No asterisk required.)
Our pledges
We are at a crossroads. Camps are forming and alliances shifting, astonishingly fast. The crimes and chaos inflicted by the current regime are too many and too egregious to ignore. Indifference will be a sign of acquiescence. I fear that the center will not hold. Action is needed now.
Each of us has a choice. We who voted D, we who voted R, all of my friends and fellow Americans. In 4 years, or 10 or 40, how will your allegiance in this moment be remembered?
For me:
I pledge allegiance
to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the republic
for which it stands
one nation under God
with liberty and justice for all.