The Pledge...Ruled Unconstitutional..

marionette · 06-27-2002, 12:13 AM

I found this off of a site:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/bush/story...744753,00.html

America's pledge of allegiance ruled unconstitutional

Duncan Campbell in Los Angeles
Thursday June 27, 2002
The Guardian

An appeal court has ruled that the pledge of allegiance in the US is unconstitutional because it contains the words "under God". The pledge may no longer be recited in schools.
In a ruling that has already provoked a furious reaction, the 9th US circuit court of appeals in San Francisco over turned the 1954 act of Congress which inserted the phrase "under God" after the words "one nation".

In a two-to-one decision the court said that the phrase violates the so-called establishment clause in the Constitution that requires a separation of church and state.

"A profession that we are a nation 'under God' is identical, for establishment clause purposes, to a profession that we are a nation 'under Jesus', a nation 'under Vishnu', a nation 'under Zeus', or a nation 'under no god', because none of these professions can be neutral with respect to religion," concluded Judge Alfred T Goodwin in his written judgment for the three-judge panel.

The decision, made by the most liberal of the appeal courts in the US, is bound to lead to a further appeal and has already infuriated conservative Christians. The issue of the place of God in government is a highly charged subject in a country that is much more religious than Europe.

The case that led to the ruling was brought by an atheist whose daughter was ostracised after she had refused to say the pledge in full at her school in the Sacramento area. Children cannot be forced to say the oath.

The original pledge, written in 1892, did not contain the phrase; it was added later because of a rightwing religious lobby's efforts during the McCarthy era. The original pledge was written by a Baptist socialist minister, Francis Bellamy, and was first published in a magazine called the Youth's Companion. The magazine's editor had hired Bellamy after the latter had been sacked by his church for delivering controversial socialist statements from the pulpit.

It was more than 60 years later that Congress, at the height of the anticommunist McCarthy period, added the words "under God" following a campaign by the Knights of Columbus, a rightwing Catholic organisation.

...that's so stupid, in my opinion..

BlueFire · 06-27-2002, 12:16 AM

I think that's a bit f*cked up..

DeathsHand · 06-27-2002, 12:19 AM

I can see how it can be unconstitutional and junk because of seperation of church and state or wuteva, but... it's just one short line..... why make such a big deal about it?

And if they are gonna do something about it, just take out that one line and problem solved... *shrugs*

Either way I don't see the big deal... then again, as far as I know schools around here only say it in elementary schools..... unless it was just the one middle school I went to, cuz in 6th grade they didn't have the pledge thing...

Although I guess maybe if you were from some different religion or had a strong non-belief in religion or whatever, and wanted your kids to be the same way, it could be "offensive" or something

Jonbo298 · 06-27-2002, 12:23 AM

If a person doesn't want to say the Pledge of Allegiance, then let he/she not recite it. The person might get made fun of, but if you don't believe in a God, then you won't take any harsh words from other people and stand for what you believe for(no pun intended).

GameKinG · 06-27-2002, 12:42 AM

I already saw somebody today rioting. But it was just the one.

Under God, isnt very specific even though we know which one, since even the constitution says this country is founded under God. Which means that its both.

Crash · 06-27-2002, 02:16 AM

what a piece of SH##!!!! what next, they gunna take "in god we trust off all our pennies and dollars? I say throw the son-of-a..... out of the freaking country. he can go live in russia if that little piece of crap doesn't like it. i hope someone assassinates that freaking dope!

Happydude · 06-27-2002, 08:20 AM

can someone summerize that for me?

i dont feel like reading it.

Bond · 06-27-2002, 09:47 AM

It will be overturned by a higher court... of course.

marionette · 06-27-2002, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Crash
what a piece of SH##!!!! what next, they gunna take "in god we trust off all our pennies and dollars? I say throw the son-of-a..... out of the freaking country. he can go live in russia if that little piece of crap doesn't like it. i hope someone assassinates that freaking dope!

exactly. if this doesn't get overturned by a higher court, then its going to start a lot of crap. A friend of mine ssaid this country was built under God..and if they take this out, they're going to want to take everything that deals with God out..anyways. I just think its all a bunch of crap.

fingersman · 06-27-2002, 11:04 AM

Only in America does this sorta of stuff happen....

*walks along mumbling something about it being a bunch of crap*

Matusha · 06-27-2002, 01:24 PM

I hate saying the pledge......i dont even stand up when they say that crap.Why does anybody even care about the pledge?

DeathsHand · 06-27-2002, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Matusha
I hate saying the pledge......i dont even stand up when they say that crap.Why does anybody even care about the pledge?

w00t! You da man!

If I was still in school and they said the pledge, I wouldn't do it either

TheGame · 06-27-2002, 02:20 PM

This is stupid, but, then again, any person who believes in god believes that this is where this country is going to be in the future anyway.

Angrist · 06-27-2002, 03:04 PM

There are people who don't want to 'pledge' because of their personal religion. Fortunately we don't have to plegde here in Holland.

gekko · 06-27-2002, 03:13 PM

The pledge is unconstitutional. The fact that you say it makes the people who don't feel left out. So they shouldn't really say it at school.

The pledge has meaning, but the people who actually say it, the kids, don't have any idea what it means. So they really shouldn't say it. Not like it does any good.

The pledge itself shouldn't be ruled unconstitutional, but I don't think they should be saying it in public schools. Because it doesn't really build any sort of patriotism or nationalism, and it sure doesn't make the 4% of the country who doesn't want to say it feel great when they're left out.

We added it in 1954, not like we can't take it out again.

Crash, Russia ain't communist anymore. For anti-religious beliefs, look to China.