One nation under Dogg. Seems like everyone thinks the recent ruling about the Pledge of Allegiance is ridiculous, left and right alike... everyone but me, that is.

Yep, in addition to being an artiste and a geek, I'm also an avowed atheist. (Atheists are always "avowed"; it's part of the initiation rituals held with water sanctified by Karl Marx and Charles Darwin. This is a joke, in case any religious zealots are reading Rooster Spice.) I feel, frankly, that the addition of "under God" to the Pledge is not, as Marc Fisher writes, of historical value. Nor is it bad strategy to strike it down during a war, as the Post asserts. If something is unconstitutional during peacetime, is it suddenly not as important during wartime?

As for the argument that the rote repetition of "under God" renders it meaningless? Tell that to the conservatives who say "Well, the dollar bill says 'In God We Trust' " when arguing for the greater presence of religion in the state. You can't have it both ways!

And last but not least, let's not forget the following memorable quote:

"I don't know that Atheists should be considered as citizens, nor should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."

Spoken by none other than Vice President George H. W. Bush, in 1987, at a press conference during his presidential campaign. "One nation under God," huh? Wonder where he got that phrase...