Some people might say that such a desire is not very patriotic. I would argue that such a desire is extremely patriotic. It’s a Free Country, and standing up for that freedom is what makes one a patriot, not allegiance.
Freedom and allegiance are not the same thing. In fact, they are polar opposites. Allegiance requires you to blindly support something, regardless of right or wrong.
If you have allegiance, you do not ask questions, you do not think for yourself, you do what is expected of you, you support something at all costs. Freedom, on the other hand, enables you to ask questions, think for yourself, act as best you see fit, and choose whether you want to support something or not.
Allegiance is for dictatorships. Freedom is for free countries.
Granted, allegiance can be given voluntarily and often is, and there is nothing wrong with such a choice if that's what you want. Freedom leaves room for that as well!
But if it's freedom itself that you want, any requirement for allegiance is a sure sign that freedom is not the top priority.
I seldom see adult citizens in the U.S. having to conduct The Pledge of Allegiance (a good thing). However, our public schools conduct it in front of our children everyday before school starts and promotes their participation. An oath of allegiance is also expected of our legal immigrants who are going through the process of naturalization.
Luckily, in public schools, our kids are no longer required to say the Pledge if they don't want to say it, but the fact is that such exposure to allegiance is still being conducted every school day in front of young and impressionable minds, year after year.
Isn't it odd that such a practice is conducted in front of those young and impressionable minds year after year but seldom, if ever, around adults who are not as impressionable?
Immigrants who are trying to become citizens of our free country are also in the position of having to recite an oath of allegiance and, unlike our children, they are not allowed the option of skipping it. On the other hand, they are not exposed to it year after year like our kids.
As I mentioned earlier, my whole point is that allegiance and freedom are not the same thing.
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