So it turns out that randman is right, after all
I didn't doubt that he was right that it was in there. I had read that whole thing a while ago. The point is that no one is ever really compelled to sing it, and when they do definitely not the section he is discussing.
None of this really bothers me enough to do anything about it. I don't like national anthems and pledges, so its sort of off from the get go, but I'm not going to waste energy trying to shoot it down.
In God We Trust on the money is just as ridiculous as Under God in the pledge, and it was added for the same kinds of reason. We have a thread on that somewhere at EvC, and I provided a link to the US Mints history of the addition. Wholly for prosyletizing.
In the end I have a sort of laugh as it actually debases their religion, rather than debasing my feelings about the nation.
holmes
"What you need is sustained outrage...there's far too much unthinking respect given to authority." (M.Ivins)