"David Lesher" wrote in message
...
"John Mullen" writes:


With all respect Gordon, this sort of 'respecting the symbol of our
nation'
is probably very hard for most Europeans to understand. Particularly this
one, to whom the UK flag is a symbol of an Empire whose great days are
behind it, the EU one a symbol of a dream whose time has not yet come,
and
the Saltire a symbol of a nation which sold itself out, or was sold out,
a
very long time ago.

Just one of the factors which makes it hard for us to understand each
other
from the different sides of the Atlantic.

Here's another way we differ. Take this:

"I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States
of America and to the principles for which it stands, one
nation under law, indivisible, with liberty and justice for
all."

Just as in the oath a federal employee takes ("support and defend the
Constitution")...

But the oath is to:

not the President....
not the party in power...
not the government....

but the Constitution itself. We take this for granted, but non-AmCits can
have
a hard time grasping that the Armed Forces are NOT loyal to the
President...
they are loyal to the document....

Good point.

So? Well play alternate history. Suppose Nixon tried a coup when on
the ropes. Where would the Army land? With the CinC of the moment...or
the Constitution?

Great question! They would have a difficult choice to make, that's for sure!

Ask yourself that about Haiti, or Liberia, or most
anywhere.

Trouble is, a lot of these places aren't really countries in the sense that
you or I would understand them. They were drawn on a map in Germany or
Britain, taking no account of ethnicity or anything else. No reason for the
locals to feel allegiance to any particular govt or constitution.

In the Commonwealth, it's not even the nation's army --
it's Her Majesty's!

Last time it was a major issue in UK history AFAIK was the Curragh Mutiny in
Ireland, where just before WW1 many British officers were prepared to refuse
orders on this basis. In the event, WW1 came along, we had the Easter
rising, partition, followed by 70 odd years of sporadic problems in Ireland
and Britain. My alternate history, where WW1 is delayed by even a year or
so, might give rise to a more peaceful Ireland in the 20th century.

John