Those who entered school as I did in the early sixties were taught even as early as Nursery School the basics of learning, comprehension, and remembering the few, but simple phrases of the Pledge of Allegiance. Even at the point of "one nation - under god, in divisible...." I can still recall the flag hanging from above the chalkboard with an artist rendition of God framed and mounted near or above the flag. Those who did not worship God or did not value his existence in their belief, did not have to speak the one phrase. Literally, The enforcement to say aloud was not shoved down ones throat.
Upon Kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade and beyond, the picture of God hung above the flag. Three things always transcended every morning and in order. A silence period when we prayed to ourselves and then we always said the lords prayer together, we then said the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag and the teacher would always put on the long play LP on the record player to play the Star Spangled Banner as we all would recite it as the music played. How well I remember two of my all time favorite friends; Neil Chernoff and Daniel Ginsberg, both of who were Jewish and though their religious beliefs were different from the vast majority of forty some others, God was never an issue.
All through grade school, middle school, and high school, the routine was the same, the choice to participate was under the freedom act to pick and chose as one so pleased. Now the use of "God" in especially public schools is not longer free choice, laws and the infamous ACLU has stepped up to the plate to ram it down the school administrators throats that "God" is not permitted in public schools. Is it any wonder why the baby boomers have values where those trailing the baby boomers lack values. Values that were imposed upon the school administrations to alter practices to accommodate their lobbying efforts to keep God in places of worship and exclude God from places of public education.
