Jesus said to render unto Ceasar what is Ceasar's and unto God what is God's. Respect unto those whom respect is due.

The lives freely given to buy us, and maintain the freedoms that we have in this country, deserve and demand our alliegence and respect, no matter your religious beliefs, or political proclivities.

Those who are currently receiving taxpayer financed benefits, (such as a public education) should be required to recite the pledge. If anyone refuses for whatever reason, they should be denied any and all taxpayer funded benefits until such time as they come to understand the error of their poorly advised thinking.

Even without the massive cost of public education to the taxpayer, every citizen is receiving government benefits in the form of being protected night and day by our military, police and fire personnel.

Unfortunately, we cannot selectively remove all government benefits from those who are too uneducated, or unapprecitive to understand that their very existence is predicated on the sacrifices made on their behalf, in the past and the present. But, in every way possible, we should make sure that they are given the opportunity to gain a certain level of appreciation by denying every governmental handout possible, until such time as they are enlightened enough to show that minimum level of appreciation for those sacrifices, by simply reciting the pledge.

Perhaps mandatory military service would inject such appreciation for our overweight, underchallenged, spoiled younger generation. The 99% of our population who haven't displayed the intestinal fortitude to pledge their own lives to protect the rights and freedoms of their fellow citizens, could learn the meaning of respect for oneself and country, through mandatory service for all, and help to bring this country back to a state of being the UNITED States of America.