I started refusing to say the pledge at about sixth grade, some for the reasons of others saying it wrong and so loudly I couldn't hear myself.

But the better part of it was I just didn't believe it anymore.

I wrote an essay in third grade about why I loved my country. It was well-written and prose-like. I wish I still had it. My English teacher gave me an award and through some means I ended up reading it at a convention of some sort, and received an award for that as well.

The things I wrote in that essay, some of it was true. People have died for our freedom, there's no denying that, but did they need to? Were there other means of peace that history (written by Caucasian males) isn't telling us?

Yes this is a beautiful country, a powerful country, we crushed many people getting where we are, and now most people don't appreciate that.

Personally, I want to leave the country, I've come to hate it so much.