The invocation of religion as a ceremonial gesture prior to some official meeting is a very sore point with those who have been forced to participate in similar circumstances, especially if initiated by someone who will have an agenda at the meeting. If you refuse to participate, you are immediately cast in the role of "troublemaker" or heathen, or Other, or of being overly sensitive, while the one who intiates the prayer, etc, is cast into the role of community leader, or "reasonable guy just like us." It a subtle thing, but unless you've been forced to play along just to avoid making yourself obvious it is a jarring and distasteful submission. I was a forced to participate in school prayers in homeroom because I knew I would get into all kinds of grief if I didn't, from all the Christian bullies in the class.

I never felt this way about the Pledge of Allegiance until my cousin, a Peter Pan refugee kid from communist Cuba, complained to me after his first flag salute, "Getting me away from this political shit is exactly why my parents shipped me out of Cuba in the first place."

Symbols are important. One of my favorite profiles in courage is of Ernst Lindemann, Captain of the German battleship Bismarck, who was visited by the Fuhrer on the eve of his first, and final cruise. Lindemann was clearly the best qualified officer to command the pride of the German Navy, but he was no Nazi. He had open contempt for the Party and even used his influence to protect some Jewish officers under his command. When Hitler and his staff stepped aboard, the entire watch clicked heels and gave the Nazi salute. Captain Lindemann alone gave the standard military salute, only recognizing Hitler as his military superior, and nothing more.

I've always felt ashamed I never had Lindemann's courage, and true patriotism.