July 4th 2008
"Sure I wave the American flag. Do you know a better flag to wave? Sure I love my country with all her faults. I'm not ashamed of that, never have been, never will be." -- John Wayne
We Ought Hear This Every 4th... If Not Every Day!
Richard
Bernard “Red” Skelton (July 18, 1913 – September 17, 1997) was an American
comedian who was best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to
1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and
went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, clubs and casinos, while
pursuing another career as a painter.
In 2002 during the controversy over the phrase "under God," which had
been added to U.S. Pledge of Allegiance in 1954, a recording of a
monologue Skelton performed on his 1969 television show resurfaced. In
the speech, he commented on the meaning of each phrase of the Pledge. At
the end, he added: "Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said that is a
prayer and that would be eliminated from schools too?" Given that
Constitution advocates were arguing that the inclusion of "under God" in
a pledge recited daily in U.S. public schools violated the First
Amendment separation of church and state, Skelton suddenly regained
popularity among religious conservatives who wanted the phrase to
remain.