FReep this poll: Is It Unconstitutional To Ask Children To Recite the Pledge of Allegiance?

http://www.vote.com/ ^ | 6-28-02 | Vote.com

[Salvation]

Is It Unconstitutional To Ask Children In Public Schools To Recite the Pledge of Allegiance?

Day 2, 04:16 PM EST (Results are delayed 15 minutes)
Total Votes: 56,624

	percent votes
Yes (7,520)	(13%)
No (49,104)	(87%)

[Salvation]

Freep away! We should be able to make this 99%!

[Salvation]

I can not believe that 13% number. Must be DU at work.

[RasterMaster]

Still at 87%

[Salvation]

They say it takes 15 minutes to register.

[Salvation]

Action Bump -- Can you ping your lists?

[Salvation]

Ping list?

[hunter112]

Well, my own discussions of this issue with co-workers and fellow students shows that quite a few people feel that "under God" is government-sponsored religion. Not surprising, considering the erosion of religion in the public square over the last forty years. Most baby boomers can remember the day when they were told that there were not going to be anymore "starting the day with a prayer" moments, then even the "moments of silence" were dispensed with.

Your Demorat senator or congresscritter will likely be on the right side of the pledge issue (see how fast they have all scrambled for the high ground), but ask them about allowing graduating valedictorians to thank the deity of their particular religion during ceremonies. Nobody in elected office raised much of a peep about that.

[Salvation]

Your Demorat senator or congresscritter will likely be on the right side of the pledge issue (see how fast they have all scrambled for the high ground), but ask them about allowing graduating valedictorians to thank the deity of their particular religion during ceremonies.

Point well taken.

[E=MC²]

Is it constitutional to force children to attend public school? Is it constitutional to deny children the right to vote? Is it constitutional to prevent children from viewing pornography in the school library? The Constitution applies in toto to US citizens of legal age. Its protections apply to all US citizens, but not all of its rights apply to all (specifically minors).

[weikel]

To force them to yes to ask them to no.

[goodieD]

DU? don't count on them for all of it. We have plenty of libertarians and/or atheists on here who would agree that it is unconstitutional.

[goodieD]

Ask your co-workers and fellow students what the name of this particular state sponsored religion is. They cannot establish A religion. God is such a generic term for any deity. As far as I can tell, no one is picking one religion over another.

[eabinga]

Ask your co-workers and fellow students what the name of this particular state sponsored religion is.

Monotheism??

....running for cover....

[Salvation]

this still needs FReeping! BTTT!

Day 3, 10:13 PM EST (Results are delayed 15 minutes)
Total Votes: 66,384

	percent votes
Yes (8,971)	(14%)
No (57,413)	(86%)

ALL VOTERS

[goodieD]

Who's the pastor/rabbi/teacher/priest at that church? It's gotta be better than the church of What's Best For ME is Best, or the church of Secular Humanism, or the church of Socialism. But surely it's just some great cosmic accident that we are the most powerful country on earth. smirk.

[brat]

BTTT It remains 87% vs. 13%, but the figures for the 87 are 61,363 votes.

[hunter112]

I was beaten to it, indeed, monotheism, especially the Western traditions that use the word God, capitalized, to express the name of the deity.

I find a lot of wisdom in Judge Fernandez's dissent to the infamous ruling, in that the use of the word God is a very minimal use of religion, and wholly unlikely to cause any undue influence or pressure on those hearing that word in a state-supported patriotic excercise. Again, as people have seen the erosion of the expression of religion go unchallenged, they seem to find it natural that all the "leftover" remnants of religion will eventually be "cleaned up". If the 1973 pro-abortion decision had not continued to be challenged so vigorously over the last 30 years, not only would abortion be completely non-controversial by now (they would be routine on TV shows, instead of supplying a story line with at least a semblance of a moral issue), we would also be fighting other forms of infanticide that are currently unthinkable by most people.

As for me, I don't believe the world is going to crumble if the "under God" part of the Pledge is either in or out, but to those of you for whom it is earth-shattering, you waited far too long to hold your elected officials responsible for defending the right to speak of religion in the public arena!

[tutstar]

bump and voted