ONE NATION (almost) UNDER GOD

Judicial Blunder In California

by Gary Miller
June 26, 2002

 

Just nine months after the September 11 attack on America, and just in time for the Fourth of July holiday, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, Calif., overturned a 1954 act of Congress that inserted the phrase "under God" after the phrase "one nation" in our Pledge of Allegiance.

Good timing guys!

PLEDGE of ALLEGIANCE TIMELINE 1892 -- Drafted by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister in Boston, MA Sept. 8, 1892 -- First published in The Youth's Companion magazine Oct. 12, 1892 -- Printed on leaflets, distributed nationwide 1924 -- "my flag" replaced with "the flag" 1942 -- Congress officially endorsed the Pledge of Allegiance 1951 -- Knights of Columbus added "under God" to their cerimonial version 1954 -- K of C and others influenced Congress to adopt the "under God" phrase June 26, 2002 -- 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco overturned 1954 Act of Congress. * Sources: Dr. John W. Baer, The Pledge of Allegiance: A Short History; The American Legion; Fox News.

If the ruling is allowed to stand, schoolchildren in the NINE STATES under the jurisdiction of the court could no longer be led by their teachers in our current version of the pledge, which includes “under God.”

Was the thinking of our judges and legislators back in 1954 that much unlike that of our present day leaders? At first, I would have said a very emphatic “yes.” But after reading the entire story reported by Fox news on the ruling, apparently there is a ray of hope within our present government.

As a matter of fact, from President Bush, on down, there has been an enraged outcry over the 9th District Court’s decree.

President Bush was quoted as calling the ruling “RIDICULOUS.” Justice Department lawyer, Robert Loeb said, "We are certainly considering seeking further review in the matter.”

It was also reported that spokespersons from both the Republican and Democratic sides of congress expressed their disgust at the June 26 ruling.

The whole mess started when a Sacramento, Ca. atheist named Michael A. Newdow, objected because his second-grade daughter was required to recite the pledge in school. So, Mr. Newdow filed a lawsuit, which one federal judge wisely dismissed. But Newdow persisted until the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals got into the act.

The federal government’s argument [against] Newdow's lawsuit noted that the religious content of "one nation under God" was minimal.

The Fox News coverage of the story stated that “the appeals court said that an atheist or a holder of certain non-Judeo-Christian beliefs could see it as an endorsement of monotheism.”

I wonder what our founding fathers would say about this situation? Maybe something like this:

“The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity. From the day of the Declaration...they (the American people) were bound by the laws of God, which they all, and by the laws of The Gospel, which they nearly all, acknowledge as the rules of their conduct.” -- John Quincy Adams.

or:

"It can not be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!"
--Patrick Henry.

My vocabulary and journalistic ability fail me after those quotations. So I must close on those words of wisdom.



Gary Miller

June 26, 2002