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Posted on 06/27/2002 11:52:17 AM PDT by Stand Watch Listen
The importance of the words that bind Americans together was seen in the uproar following a court judgment that the phrase"under God" was unconstitutional and should be struck from the Pledge of Allegiance. America was not founded by atheists for atheists.
The words of the Constitution recognize the right of all religions to exist and to be freely exercised, but not the right of the state to require religion as a requirement of citizenship. You can be an atheist in America, but you do not have the right to insist that everyone else ignore God.
Some sage once noted that America is the only nation that was founded on the basis of words. Tribes did not found this nation. No king proclaimed its existence. We are a nation held together by a framework of words in our Declaration of Independence and, most importantly, the Constitution.
Federalist Paper No. 15 noted, "In a free government, the security for civil rights must be the same as for religious rights." It declared that "Justice is the end of government,"meaning it is the purpose of government. The authors of the Federalist Papers were John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. Together, they produced 85 papers advocating the acceptance of the Constitution.
Thereafter, many people have strived to express what America represents. On July 4th and every other day of the year, we need to remind ourselves of the precious freedoms we enjoy and of the constant threat to those freedoms that exists.
Thornton Wilder noted that the Founding Fathers "did not only leave the old world, they repudiated it. Americans start from scratch."
That Old World was run by monarchs and despots. The new one, while including many nations that now have elections, is still filled with far too many in which the voice of the people has no power whatever.
Adlai Stevenson said, "America is much more than a geographical fact. It is a political and moral fact-the first community in which men set out in principle to institutionalize freedom, responsible government, and human equality."
"If you expect people to be ignorant and free, you expect what never was and never will be," said Thomas Jefferson.
The message was repeated in every generation. William Henry Harrison said, "We admit of no government by divine right, the only legitimate right to govern is an express grant of power from the governed."
Wendell Phillips said, "Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." Gen. Douglas McArthur said, "The inescapable price of liberty is an ability to preserve it from destruction."
In his inaugural address on January 20, 1961, President John F. Kennedy said, "The world is different now. For humans hold in their mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet, the same revolutionary faith for which our forebears fought is still at issue around the globe-the belief that the rights of humanity come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God."
Humanity was on the mind of Archibald MacLeish who wrote, "There are those, I know, who will say that the liberation of humanity, the freedom of man and mind, is nothing but a dream. They are right. It is the American dream."
(Alan Caruba writes "Warning Signs," a weekly column posted on the Internet site of The National Anxiety Center.)
Alan Caruba
the Case of the Freeper FRiva Feva is under scrutiny - super-sleuths are welcomed
come resolve the way to yesterday's Target Post, you're not out of the running yet
win your registration fees to the FRive Las Vegas Conference if you dare
John Jay was also the First Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
He declared:
”I recommend a general and public return of praise and thanksgiving to Him from whose goodness these blessings descend. The most effectual means of securing the continuance of our civil and religious liberties, is always to remember with reverence and gratitude thesource from which they flow.” “Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.”
Can't be true, our country was founded by Diests, says so all over
this board. (Pun intended)
Valid point and one that needs to be repeated.
This absurd idea that to say the name 'God' in any taxpayer-supported institution, even within the Pledge of Allegence, is somehow 'unconstitutional' because it violates the clause that forbids the 'establishment' of a state-supported religion has to be shown for the fraud it is.
Saying 'under God' doesn't 'establish a religion' it only recognizes that there is a God, a 'divine being' who is superior to Man. That is not 'establishing a religion' in any sense. It only recognizes that almost everyone believes there is a God. Nothing more. If you don't hold such a belief, fine. Don't say it.
This insistance that the many must bow to the few in matters of public faith contained in the single word 'God' is possibly the straw that will break the back of the humanist, atheist concept of a God-free nation, the exact opposite of what the founding fathers set up and planned for.
Maybe now, finally, the vast majority will say to these liberal activists and judges: "We respect your right to be an atheist but - enough. We will not take the name of God out of the public square to appease you and pretend that we are honoring our constitution when, in fact, we are making a mockery of it with our judicial actions".
Maybe. We'll see.
Petition to the President of the United States and Members of Congress
I speak as an American citizen. The recent decision of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco where the Pledge of Allegiance was ruled Unconstitutional is an attack on America by way of the legal system. We are indeed "One Nation Under God."To declare that anyone who pledges allegiance to the Flag of our Country is breaking the law is to declare the President of the United States and every member of Congress to be law breakers.
It has become abundantly clear that the two judges that voted for this must be impeached and removed from office. Please use the authority that you have been invested with and immediately vote to impeach judges Stephen Reinhardt and Alfred Goodwin.
To sign the Petition, click HERE.
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