Well, yeah, but it seems to put the emphasis in the wrong place, with the republic being an afterthought, secondary to the symbol. Also, being asked to pledge

Well, yeah, but it seems to put the emphasis in the wrong place, with the republic being an afterthought, secondary to the symbol. Also, being asked to pledge allegiance to anything as a minor seems weird and wrong to me. IMHO it undermines the whole concept of pledging allegiance, which should be an informed choice, not a ritualistic indoctrination.