'Britney Spears, Thor and Skinny Puppy (The Pledge of Indifference)'

           There are many Americans who would love it if we made kids do the Pledge of Allegiance every morning like we used to (I apologize if this news just caused you to take a spill and now you have a mother wallop on the old coconut). A strange but, true fact is, that there is a plethora of folks who claim to believe in the freedoms that this country should provide (like religious persecution) and then question why everybody doesn't pray to the same God.
          Are all Christians like this? Of course not. But if you want the Pledge to return....you're probably a christian. My question is: "Would Christians want their children to pledge every morning to Thor? He is a god, right? So, what's the harm in pledging your undying servitude to a hammer wielding Fabio look alike who occasionally gets in a skirmish with The Incredible Hulk?"
Answer: They don't want to and should not be forced. Nor should anyone else have to swear their unrelenting obedience to a zombie carpenter who is scared of gays if they don't want to.
         Now you may be thinking to yourself, "Hey, pal, majority rules. There are more Christians in our country than any other religion so we get to throw our God into wherever we want."
         And yes, I have heard this argument before. But it is moot as I shall now prove with the following 2 words.
         Britney Spears. I'm sure you're familiar with Britney. Pop singer. Not a big reader. Looks good wearing a snake. See, her worst selling album outsold Skinny Puppy's best selling album. Not familiar with Skinny Puppy? That's okay. They sound scary, creative and there's a good chance you wouldn't like it. But, I do. I actually prefer it to Britney's music. My question to you is this. Due to Britney having a larger fan base than Skinny Puppy, does it give her fans the right to inject samples of her music in the middle of Skinny Puppy songs I am listening to? If so, do I then have an obligation to memorize this new interrupting version, repeat it back to those who taught it to me, whilst standing with hand upon heart and staring at a flag that depicts Britney beating a car with an umbrella?
        Ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you that it does not. Skinny Puppy has the right to make their songs however they want, as does Britney. I, in turn, have the right to choose if I want to listen to either.
       This 4th of July, I celebrated it correctly. I watched stuff blow up and thought about independence. A word that I am fortunate enough to know the definition of.

written by Tony Santiago, all rights reserved.