David,

I believe that the British curiousity about the American Pledge of Allegiance and the Americans' flag fascination stems from the two different forms of democracy in the UK and USA. The British parlimentary system with a monarchy has as its head of state the monarch (king or queen). The British and other Commonwealth countries accepting the monarch pledge alleigance to the monarch as the head of state.

In the US the Constitution defines the three branches of government. The President, head of the executive branch, is tasked to be head of state. Since Presidents come and go, never allowed to stay in office more than eight years, Americans generally grant more respect to the position or office than the person who is, for now, the President. The American flag represents the Republic, the nation, in somewhat the same way the British monarch, the Queen, represents the British nation/people. Americans pledge alliegance to their flag not their President.

The British have their Queen and the Americans their flag. Two different forms of democracy. Both seem to work well most of the time.

PS - Where I went to school, Casper, Wyoming, we said the Pledge of Alleigance every morning while in elementary school, 1955-1961.