Punctuation...

For this entire day I have been wearing my "COMMAS SAVE LIVES" T-shirt, a most appropriate gift from my neighbor, brought back from her most recent visit to her spiritual home in Alaska.

For uncountable years I have carried in my inquisitive mind varying questions about the Pledge written in the nineteenth century  for school-age children to encourage patriotism.  The tender little chant has been modified over time by politicians, including even the stance and hand motions used in its execution.

The pledge reached official recognition before I was born. and over the years, like "The Eyes of Texas" (which originated as a spoof) has attained a semi-sacred status.

It is with the Cold War adaption of the pledge that I am most concerned because in its execution, it vandalizes the meter.  I noticed it the first time ever we said it in assembly, my senior in high school.  Tony Sanchez, whose concerns were elsewhere, was sitting beside me, asked me in a confidential manner, "How can they say 'with liberty and justice for all', when the Negroes don't have our freedom?" 

I thought Tony had a valid question, which has still not left me, but my concern for the moment was the butchered flow of the words,

It took me years, and internet access to "look it up". and I found that the wording authorized by President Eisenhower was, "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

If I say the chant in public using that legitimate phrase I always get out of step with the crowd, who say, "one nation,...(giving time to say 'oh, yeah') indivisible,".  In this case, injecting a comma where no comma should be.