The Walks and The Pledge

I resumed my usual schedule yesterday, now that Mike is gone (sob!) and I have no happy reason not to. I actually walked Kimball early and was home by 7:30. No prob, I waited until 8:00 for breakfast, then did my favorite crossword, natch.
Spent time typing out the minutes of the boring T.O.P.S. meeting, which I covered in Bobbi's absence last time.  Tidied up a bit, went to WinCo, and cut up some onions and sweet peppers. I'm feeling a little down, but not a lot and I'll get over it.
Did the town walk and stayed in the library for an hour or so. I didn't feel like any heavy reading, but am perusing a huge book--I actually had difficulty carrying it--which includes New Yorker cartoons from its first issue in 1926 to the publishing date of 2004. Fun to see in part, but I'm only about a quarter way finished and getting tired of it.
I was annoyed to see via email that Sue again put me on the Toastmaster agenda as "leading the pledge." I had sent the mail below to her last month, when she did the same.
Coincidentally, Cece, who's membership chair of Toastmasters, called me last night to ask if I'd consider running for office in the Poinsettia group. I wanted to scream, "no, no, a thousand times no!" and gnash my teeth, but I just responded gently that I'm involved in so much as it is, I really don't have the time. She's nice, though, and after we discussed my refusal to act as pledge master, she asked if I'd be grammarian tonight and I agreed.
Here's what I sent Sue yesterday:

Dear Sue, I'm a little confused. Maybe I should have checked to be sure you received this when I sent it on March 20. If you didn't get it, please accept my apology. Here's what I sent you::

Please remove my name as pledge/inspiration leader on April 23rd. I am a pacifist and I can't, in good conscience, lead the pledge.  I don't recite it at Toastmasters meetings--or anywhere else--nor do I put my hand over my heart.  It would be hypocritical of me to pretend allegiance, symbolically or otherwise, to a flag representing a government that is presently bombing five countries. In Afganistan alone, civilian deaths total 31,000, with 29,900 wounded.  Both these numbers include, of course, children.

I'll be happy to be assigned in another capacity for Toastmasters or, if you wish, simply do the inspiration part.Thank you.