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In Winchester, Virginia, the local Planning Commission has decided that the Pledge of Allegiance is a little too theatrical for its taste. Adding it to the meeting agenda was dismissed as unnecessary pageantry, as though fifteen seconds of standing for the country might somehow derail the urgent business of site plans and setbacks.
But he concern, it seems, is optics. Allegiance looks performative.
It should be noted that the Commission did not previously recite the Pledge, but Chairman Beau Correll proposed formalizing the meeting structure by adding it to the agenda.
Pretty simple addition. It takes all of 15 seconds to say the Pledge. It’s a commonplace practice in various town and city meetings throughout the country. Worse than the outright rejection was the reasoning by some as to why it should be excluded.
Commissioner Leesa Mayfield offered the most strident opposition to the motion.
“When he (Correll) brought [it] up to me beforehand about the Pledge of Allegiance, I was like, ‘Is that really necessary?'” she asked.
“I would prefer to remove the Pledge of Allegiance under Public Hearings Section C under Article 5,” Mayfield said of the amendment to the proposed bylaws.
“The Pledge of Allegiance has an importance, of course,” Mayfield added. “But the need to recite it at the beginning of every city meeting in a performative way seems unnecessary.”
Commissioner Sandra Bloom sided with that sentiment.
“I would agree with that as well, actually. I’m glad we don’t do any pageantry or rituals before we just dive into business,” she added.
“The chair calls for a vote to remove the Pledge of Allegiance from the agenda,” Correll said prior to the roll call vote. It fell in a 4-2 decision.
“The Pledge of Allegiance is removed from the agenda,” Correll said following the vote. – RedState
The Pledge of Allegiance takes about 15 seconds to recite. Fifteen seconds doesn’t seem like a heavy lift for a public body entrusted with governing anything. The Pledge is not a campaign rally or a political speech; it is a short civic habit that reminds Americans that public service operates inside a nation, not above it.
There was a time when small civic rituals required no explanation. City Hall manages budgets, regulations, contracts, and public hearings. Fifteen seconds is not what strains the calendar.
No one is asking city councils to turn meetings into parades. The Pledge is a short civic custom, nothing more. If fifteen seconds feels like too much, the resistance is not about time. It is about what the words represent.
Just as one city decides fifteen seconds of allegiance is a bit too theatrical, help rides in from Washington. A new “Pledge America” campaign is encouraging broadcasters to lean into patriotic programming ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday.
NEW
The FCC has launched a Pledge America Campaign. 🇺🇸
As we celebrate the country’s 250th birthday, broadcasters are well suited to air patriotic, pro-America programming in honor of the nation’s historic milestone.
The effort can emphasize programming that promotes civic… pic.twitter.com/sF4B0WwL5h
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) February 20, 2026
It’s straightforward and voluntary. And it’s the opposite of embarrassed. While Winchester debates whether the Pledge looks performative, others are treating it like something worth keeping.
That reminds me, I need to add a little more red, white, and blue to my wardrobe to prepare for America’s upcoming birthday party.
No one is asking city councils to break into fireworks displays before reviewing site plans. The Pledge is not a rally. It is not a campaign speech. It is a brief acknowledgment that public service exists within a country that did not materialize by accident.
Maybe it is time for Winchester to invite Cadence, who also happens to be from Virginia, to kick off a meeting and remind everyone what those fifteen seconds are actually about.
As America turns 250, the split is obvious. Some leaders are willing to stand under the flag. Others would rather skip the moment. One sees unity. The other sees embarrassment.
It is fifteen seconds. If that feels excessive, the problem is not time.
America turns 250 this year. The country has endured far more than a debate over fifteen seconds. The flag is still flying. The republic is still standing. And some traditions do not need defending. They simply continue.
Rock on America!
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Tim says: Winchester was rural and pretty conservative at one time. Known mostly for apples and the Byrd family. Now it’s a bedroom for DC and has become physically and demographically unrecognizable.
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