Pledge-protesting campus ripped as 'intolerant'

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | September 29, 2007

[Man50D]

Both the students at Boulder, Colo., High School who are protesting the traditional "Pledge of Allegiance" because of its inclusion of "God," as well as school officials who are praising them for democratically expressing their views, need to be educated, charges a national advocacy group.

"The organized student boycott of the Pledge of Allegiance at Boulder High School yesterday was a ridiculous display of immaturity, ignorance and intolerance that should punished by the school," said the Right Rev. Council Nedd, the national chairman of In God We Trust USA.

"In no way is hearing the words 'under God' offensive as high school senior Emma Martens claims. In media reports Miss Martens is quoted as saying, 'We didn't think it was fair for the whole school to have to listen to (the pledge). It's almost religious oppression,'" he said.

"The only thing offensive about this whole episode is that children in Boulder High School are not being taught to respect their fellow students who believe in God or to appreciate America's historical belief that our liberties come from a higher power and not from government," he said.

[Man50D]

Hey Emma! If you actually studied history in high school instead of diversity and homosexuality you would realize there is no reference to the separation of church and state in the Constitution and that the Freedom Of Religion clause refers only to preventing the establishment of a national church. The explanation is below:

Thomas Jefferson was a man of deep religious conviction - his conviction was that religion was a very personal matter, one which the government had no business getting involved in. He was vilified by his political opponents for his role in the passage of the 1786 Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom and for his criticism of such biblical truths as the Great Flood and the theological age of the Earth. As president, he discontinued the practice started by his predecessors George Washington and John Adams of proclaiming days of fasting and thanksgiving. He was a staunch believer in the separation of church and state.

Jefferson wrote a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802 to answer a letter from them written in October 1801. A copy of the Danbury letter is available here. The Danbury Baptists were a religious minority in Connecticut, and they complained that in their state, the religious liberties they enjoyed were not seen as immutable rights, but as privileges granted by the legislature - as "favors granted." Jefferson's reply did not address their concerns about problems with state establishment of religion - only of establishment on the national level. The letter contains the phrase "wall of separation between church and state," which led to the short-hand for the Establishment Clause that we use today: "Separation of church and state."

The letter was the subject of intense scrutiny by Jefferson, and he consulted a couple of New England politicians to assure that his words would not offend while still conveying his message: it was not the place of the Congress or the Executive to do anything that might be misconstrued as the establishment of religion.

Note: The bracketed section in the second paragraph was been blocked off for deletion in the final draft of the letter sent to the Danbury Baptists, though it was not actually deleted in his draft of the letter. It is included here for completeness. Reflecting upon his knowledge that the letter was far from a mere personal correspondence, Jefferson deleted the block, he noted in the margin, to avoid offending members of his party in the eastern states.

This is a transcript of the letter as stored online at the Library of Congress, and reflects Jefferson's spelling and punctuation.

The letter was the subject of intense scrutiny by Jefferson, and he consulted a couple of New England politicians to assure that his words would not offend while still conveying his message: it was not the place of the Congress or the Executive to do anything that might be misconstrued as the establishment of religion.

Note: The bracketed section in the second paragraph was been blocked off for deletion in the final draft of the letter sent to the Danbury Baptists, though it was not actually deleted in his draft of the letter. It is included here for completeness. Reflecting upon his knowledge that the letter was far from a mere personal correspondence, Jefferson deleted the block, he noted in the margin, to avoid offending members of his party in the eastern states.

This is a transcript of the letter as stored online at the Library of Congress, and reflects Jefferson's spelling and punctuation.

[SusaninOhio]

I can’t listen to Michael Savage for extended periods of time because he is wound a little tight and if there is a category of extreme conservatives, he probably fits it - but yesterday he hit the hail on the head with his rant that as a country we have no national pride, as a country we fail to stand up and defend our values and our nation, and catholics should be loudly denouncing the filthy ad that makes of a mockery of their religion, and the Pelosies who say it is fine with them -

And he was right on all those points. He was right to be disgusted because there was no loud response by the citizens of this country, to the hatred spewed IN OUR COUNTRY by the Pig of Iran -

I agreed with him on all his points. The muslims with their chanting and flag-burning, show the world that while they are indeed insane, they are connected by a strong bond -

I miss the days when the citizens of this country openly defended our country and our beliefs and I worry that there are no generations coming after us that feel that patriotism and have enough pride to express it.

Getting old sucks. Thinking of burqa-wearing attendants in the nursing home ‘caring’ for us older folks, makes me sick. Watching the 3 berobed mothers shopping at Walmart together last night, looking at cute Disney kid’s clothing, makes me sick. Looking that the 10-year-old daughter of one of them, already forced into floor-to-ceiling, hair-covering robes, makes me sick.

If my cats had not made me get up so early this rant would probably not have taken place, but Savage is right: we no longer display our national pride and many of us are heartsick about it.

[fweingart]

'We didn't think it was fair for the whole school to have to listen to (the pledge). It's almost religious oppression,'"...

Snot-nosed little brat! I'll bet her parents are a treat.

Religious oppression indeed. I'll bet Emma and her little group would demonstrate to allow muslims to pray daily in class.

Emma and her cohorts represent the minority of those who believe themselves atheists and fail to understand that they're doing satan's work now, but when they get closer to the grim reaper they'll call out for God's mercy.

[sport]

When the muslims take over they will take care of her.

When she ids buried waiste deep in the dirt coveered with a sheet waiting for the stones to start hitting her or she is sitting with her hnds tied behind her back waiting for someone to grab her by the hair of the head and cut her head off, then she will know what religious oppresion is.

But then as now she will be to stupid to recognize it.

Now she is alive and stupid. Then she will be dead and stupid.

[sport]

Susan you are an infedel, there will be no nursing home for you when they take over. There will be the throat cutting and head chopping though.

[ketsu]

Emma and her cohorts represent the minority of those who believe themselves atheists and fail to understand that they're doing satan's work now, but when they get closer to the grim reaper they'll call out for God's mercy.

The "under god" part of the pledge is a sham anyway. Inserted due to lobbying from the Knights of Columbus in 1954. The pledge was actually written by a Christian Socialist. If the little commies knew that they'd probably let it back in ;)

[SkyPilot]

and catholics should be loudly denouncing the filthy ad that makes of a mockery of their religion, and the Pelosies who say it is fine with them

_______________________________________________________

SAT Question:

Pelosi is to Christian as Equitable is to:

A. Scrupulous
B. Deceitful
C. Unfeigned
D. Ingenuous

ANSWER: B

[StonyBurk]

Now Now We dont want to offend the future Communist Party USA / Democratic Party Presidential Cantidates do we.
These children did accept leadership that directed them to
select for the name of their group —one that reflects the
goals of the global Communists — and remember this schroool is proud part of the Peoples Republic of Boulder.

[PinkDolphin]

You are posting on all the interesting articles this morning!
haha

ping for later

[StonyBurk]

Yes, and I suppose the stained glass window with images of George Washington in prayer surrounded by distinctly
Christian imagry was also pressed upon us by the evil Knights of Columbus? Inclusion of “under God” turned the
godless pledge into something that did tie that to the
Gettysburg Address,and to the National Anthem. Your arguement is ok on the surface— but Ive heard similar complaint about the national motto -how In God we trust
was not on the coins of the relm until after the Civil War.
I am not offended by including a rememberanc eof our nations Christian heritage—are you?

[goldstategop]

Liberals seem to have a problem with God. They need to ban the Pledge Of Allegiance because it mentions two things now politically incorrect on the Left: that America is a nation under God and that we should love America as our country. Allegiance to those two precepts is now viewed as "divisive" in Boulder, Colorado.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[ketsu]

Yes, and I suppose the stained glass window with images of George Washington in prayer surrounded by distinctly Christian imagry was also pressed upon us by the evil Knights of Columbus? Inclusion of “under God” turned the godless pledge into something that did tie that to the Gettysburg Address,and to the National Anthem. Your arguement is ok on the surface— but Ive heard similar complaint about the national motto -how In God we trust was not on the coins of the relm until after the Civil War. I am not offended by including a rememberanc eof our nations Christian heritage—are you?

I'm a nationalist not a theocrat.

If little commies want to get rid of god in the pledge of allegiance(made by a christian commie itself) far be it from me to protest. It doesn't belong there anyway.

Getting rid of the pledge of allegiance on the other hand. That I won't abide.

[Eagles Talon IV]

Great. I could not have put it any better. It will take, I’m afraid, a catastrophe of the highest magnitude within our borders before the mostly silent majority ( I do believe they exist but have been quieted by the effective PC movement)rise up and are heard. Until then we will continue to lose and see blurred all that made this country the most powerful, wealthy and opportunity filled one ever to exist.

I am 65 years old and certainly have no wish to die anytime soon but for the very first time in my life i find myself NOT wishing I were a younger man. I don’t think I want to be around to see the future where this nation seems to be headed.

[donnab]

First of all I dont understand why this little spoiled HIGH SCHOOL brat and her hand full brat friends are getting so much press. This should have been ignored and they could have had their little display and it would have went away.
Instead the prima-ballerina is now reveling in her new found fame and made to feel as though what she did has some relevance.
Having said that ...her little new penned pledge is so easy to ridicule both in grammer and meaning. As a high school essay it would have been graded F.
Giving her some after school lessons would be a good place to start.

[fweingart]

I’ll wager her parents are an unusual pair. Perhaps she is being raised by a single mom.

[fweingart]

Now she is alive and stupid. Then she will be dead and stupid.

Right-O.

[donnab]

I know lots of single moms who raise their kids with dignity and respect.
This girl is a spoiled brat...most likely with lib anti-God parents .

[WesternPacific]

Two years ago we had Mexican student walk out of class to support the supposedly national illegal aliens protest. Our High School principal suspended all twenty who left campus on a protest march. These student were also remanded to In School Suspension upon their return after suspension. They had to remain in ISS until they completed an essay on why they were protesting. Most did not know the reason for their protest.

[skeeter]

You should have lived for the past 45 years in California.

I watched the state change from one indistinguishable from any of the others circa 1950's to one where I feel not only I don't belong, but downright unwelcome.

Worse, it is, at best, socially unacceptable to publically utter anything other than complimentary platitudes concerning the direction of things.

America's future has been determined for us, and it does not in any way involve feelings of national pride or solidarity as a people. We just have to come to grips with reality and plan for our own families and futures accordingly.

[Thoro]

'We didn't think it was fair for the whole school to have to listen to (the pledge). It's almost religious oppression,'"...

Religious oppression indeed. I'll bet Emma and her little group would demonstrate to allow muslims to pray daily in class.

I find that whenever someone of this ilk screams "religious oppression" they have neither the cognitive abilities nor the historical perspective to understand what religious oppression really is, nor the full understanding of the freedom they're enjoying/abusing to spout this righteous garbage.

I suggest such people be given one way tickets to Iran for a quick and easy education on the matter.

[ncpatriot]

I miss the days when the citizens of this country openly defended our country and our beliefs and I worry that there are no generations coming after us that feel that patriotism and have enough pride to express it.

What is wrong with us? We act like we don't care, but we DO. Yet we do nothing.

BUT we acted when the politicians tried to push the amnesty bill down our throats - so I know we can get motivated, but when?

[StonyBurk]

Was in 1892—the same year the unanimous US Supreme Court
decided Church of the Holy Trinity v. the United States 143 US 457 Feb 29,1892 As Justice Josiah David Brewer wrote
“...this is a Christian nation...” That same year the President decided to promote national pride and proclaimed
the popular Pledge be read at all public occasions. And that pledge was amended i think, in 1924. SO you favor the
removal of “under God” in the pledge -but would not allow
the pledge, which was written by a Commie(as you say) be
removed.When our Government decided we were no longer opposing the Soviet Communist -once we quit in Vietnam when
they devised a new policy they threw the baby out with the bathwater-You’ve every right to believe what you will-be careful what you wish for-what you recieve may not reflect
your wishes.