Posted on 11/26/2003 11:39:55 PM PST by JohnHuang2
Thanksgiving – American style
Posted: November 27, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By John W. Whitehead
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
We are a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being. We guarantee the freedom of worship as one chooses.
--Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, Zorach v. Clauson (1952)
On a sunny fall day in 1621, as the story goes, Gov. William Bradford declared a day of public thanksgiving for the tiny colony of settlers at Cape Cod.
After a long, desperate winter that claimed almost half of the Pilgrims' original party, the rest struggled all summer to provide for their basic needs. Aided by friendly Native Americans who spoke English and knew how to live in the hostile new land, the Pilgrims believed their efforts had been rewarded. Now those of the small party looked toward their second winter, hoping their limited rations would bring them through.
With grateful hearts for surviving the arduous task of settling in America, the Pilgrims invited some 90 Native American neighbors to celebrate with them and give thanks to God with a feast that lasted three full days. They had finally found a land free from the religious persecution they had undergone in the European countries from which they had fled. And now God was helping them make the New World a home where religious freedom would flourish.
Over 382 years later, schoolchildren around the country find themselves in halls lined with pictures of somber, black-coated Pilgrims and plump, colorful turkeys. Art class becomes an exciting event as children make paper Indian headdresses with yellow and orange feathers.
On Thanksgiving Day itself, families gather together to feast on home-cooked meals and to fellowship and relax. The next day, the hurriedness of life resumes as thousands of consumers crowd the streets, stores and shopping malls in a buying frenzy.
The celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday, however, now makes me uneasy. As I look at the newspapers, e-mails and legal cases that find their way across my desk, my concern grows ever stronger.
I discover that a schoolteacher was told to remove the slogan "God Bless America" from her class bulletin board because, according to the principal, it is illegal. If she doesn't remove the words, she might lose her job.
In another school district, a kindergartner was told that the pencils he brought in to share with his classmates could not be distributed during Easter. The other children were sharing items they brought from home. But this little boy's pencils had "Jesus loves the little children" printed on them. Again, he was told these five words in a public school are illegal.
An honor guardsman in New Jersey lost his job at a cemetery because he told a widow of a fallen soldier "God bless you and God bless the United States of America" as he handed the American flag to her – even though federal protocol dictates that these words be said.
An 11-year-old Muslim girl has been suspended twice from school for wearing a hijab – a headdress that her faith commands she wear. She was supposedly in violation of a school dress code that prevents such things as baseball caps from being worn.
The parental association of a local school, as part of a fund-raising campaign for student organizations, sold engraved bricks that were placed around the flagpole. The bricks could contain short personalized messages and a small symbol. Several parents who bought bricks placed a small cross on them with their child's name. When a single person complained, school officials removed the bricks with crosses on them.
A high school salutatorian wanted to thank God as part of his farewell speech to his fellow classmates. After reviewing the speech, school officials deleted such references. And after losing his case in the lower courts, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear his appeal.
Three small foot-square plaques with quotes from the Psalms giving thanks were removed from the Grand Canyon after questions were raised by the ACLU. The plaques had been there for over 33 years and had been donated by the Evangelical Sisters of Mary. After public outcry, the plaques were returned while a study is conducted to see if they can legally remain affixed to the granite walls of the canyon.
Perhaps the saddest case involves a third-grade teacher who instructed her students to complete the sentence, "I am thankful for _______." The students' responses were to be published in the Thanksgiving-week edition of the school newspaper. One of the pupils responded, "I am thankful for living in a country where I can choose my own religion." When the student's response was brought to the attention of the principal, she informed the teacher that the response could not be published in the school newspaper because of the so-called "separation of church and state."
It seems that the hopes and dreams of the pilgrims are being lost in a sea of bigotry and political correctness. We have forgotten, as Justice Douglas recognized, that our country was founded on the basic belief in God and that freedom of religion is an inherent right which we all possess. And that right follows us, no matter where we may be.
Thanksgiving –American style. Somehow, I have the nagging feeling that something is missing.
Once the gym was full; my wife asked our local preacher to do blessing before the community elders lined up. The fact that the principal requested the preacher to do grace pleasantly surprised many; something quite normal to most Americans.
Turns out in the past, the previous principal bumped heads within the community over prayer at school functions ect; due to a single ultra-liberals constant complaints.
People should just do what they feel is right and proper for the community as a whole; and ignore some of the morons that live in every community. This one particular bad apple has become meek as a church mouse since the new principal put her back in her place about several related issues.
Not all school teachers are left wing socialists and not all administrators are anti-American.
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