Thoughts behind the artwork...

I pledge allegiance to the flag Of the united states of America

And to the republic for which it stands One nation, indivisible, under god

With liberty and justice for all

Born into a hardworking, blue-collar family, he was raised to know what it meant to be a patriotic American. He knew the importance of the fourth of July, just as he knew of the sacrifices of the many brave souls who gave their lives defending the people of this great nation. When he looked upon the flag, he did so with pride. He was taught to feel that pride when he recited the pledge of allegiance while attending school as a boy. Each day at school, he placed palm over heart, faced the flag, and spoke the words etched into his mind through rote. Their meaning did not really matter, it was the ritual that did. Day after day, he spoke the words… until one day school was over and he was a man.

Growing up, he had sat with his parents around the television and watched the news. The news was the sight glass to the world outside of their small town. When the news ended, he listened to his parents discuss what they saw, and their thoughts became his. This became the pattern of his life. Work. Come home. Eat supper. Sit in front of the television. Watch the news. Think about the mess the world was in.

As he became older, the sight glass became more confusing. Clicking through the television channels, he was saddened to see family shows replaced with violent crime scene dramas, reality shows that rewarded cruelty and deceit over decency, and news channels that no longer seemed to speak any form of truth. Hatred was everywhere. Violence was everywhere. Injustice was everywhere. Decency seemed harder and harder to find in this new world.

Looking at what this country had become, he remembered that pledge from so long ago. He finally began to look closer at the words so often recited in school. In sorrow, he cannot understand them now. One nation, indivisible. He has seen how easily this nation has been divided. He knows that at every turn this nation turns upon itself. Whether it be politics, religion, or race… he sees his fellow Americans' looking at each other as enemies while the rest of the world watches through slitted eyes. Liberty and justice for all? He has seen enough to know that this is simply not true. He is proud to be an American. He loves his country. He knows this is still the greatest place to be. But now, as an older man, he finds that pledge to be in many ways incomprehensible.

-John Alexander (aka SirJohn)