A New Pledge of Allegiance

Above picture depicts the original Bellamy salute to be performed with the Pledge of Allegiance.  Seems a little creepy, doesn't it?

I'm a little sentimental about the Pledge in spite of its origins in creating a docile, obedient populace.  It stirs up feelings of how special this nation really is, and how special its founding was.

But I think it is a little odd to pledge allegiance to a flag, when such a symbol is easily perverted.  If our government turned against its own people, it would still be waving this flag.  "To the republic" is much more meaningful, if you know that republic is not a mere synonym for nation.  The "indivisible" part is a post-Civil War rejection of the 10th item in our Bill of Rights, and doesn't really convey how the States were intended to be United.

Here is something that I think would be an improvement to our Pledge, if somewhat less poetic:

I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States, and the republican form of limited government which it constitutes, one republic of free states standing united for their mutual liberty and defense against tyranny, a beacon to the world for the natural rights of humankind.  

Or perhaps:

I pledge allegiance to the natural rights of mankind, which arise in Free States of self-governing free peoples, and to the Constitution that Unites these States, one republic so constituted, and a federal government so restricted, for free peoples at all times prepared to oppose any form of tyranny, a beacon of hope and liberty to the world.

Something like that.  If either of these seem too radical to our Establishment leaders, they need to stop praising our Founders, because these radical ideas pervade our Constitution, our Declaration, the Federalist Papers, the Anti-Federalist Papers, and our political literature for the first 40 years of our republic.