Posted on 08/02/2007 8:14:32 AM PDT by SConservative
Texas students will have four more words to remember when they head back to class this month and begin reciting the state's pledge of allegiance.
This year's Legislature added the phrase "one state under God" to the pledge, which is part of a required morning ritual in Texas public schools along with the pledge to the U.S. flag and a moment of silence.
State Rep. Debbie Riddle, who sponsored the bill, said it had always bothered her that God was omitted in the state's pledge.
"Personally, I felt like the Texas pledge had a big old hole in it, and it occurred to me, 'You know what? We need to fix that,' " said Riddle, R-Tomball. "Our Texas pledge is perfectly OK like it is with the exception of acknowledging that just as we are one nation under God, we are one state under God as well."
By law, students who object to saying the pledge or making the reference to God can bring a written note from home excusing them from participating.
But adding that phrase has drawn criticism from some who say it's unneccesary and potentially harmful to children who don't share the same religious beliefs. "Most Texans do not need to say this new version of the pledge in order to be either patriotic or religious," said Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. "This is the kind of politicking of religion that disturbs many Americans, including those who are deeply religious."
The revised wording in the Texas pledge took effect on June 15, and the Texas Education Agency sent an e-mail reminding school districts about the change earlier this week.
Officials with Houston-area districts say they will notify schools and parents about the new requirement.
Rebecca Suarez, spokeswoman for the Houston Independent School District, said a letter about the change will be sent home to parents when their children return to school. And a flier with the pledge's revised wording will be sent to each campus before classes start.
Texas has had a pledge of allegiance since 1933. In 2003, the Legislature required all schools to pledge allegiance to the U.S. and Texas flags and observe a moment of silence every morning at the beginning of classes.
Texas isn't the only state that has its own pledge of allegiance. Other states include Michigan, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Kentucky.
Mississippi and Louisiana mention God in their pledges. And Kentucky lays claim to being blessed with "grace from on High."
The liberal myth that including "under God" in the pledge is a violation of the establishment clause is in complete disagreement with almost every ruling by almost any court for the first one hundred eighty years of our republic. The liberal revision of the first amendment in practice today is not the correct view of the first amendmnent any more than the hyper-expanded view of the fourteenth amendment is the view that those lawmakers had in mind when they put it into law.
The hyper-expanded view of the fourteenth amendment is simply an underhanded tool for judicial activists on the court to be used by the far left to deconstruct America and shove their top-down, centralized, coercive secular humanistic vision into its place.
Would you change your view about the 14th if the Texas legislature suffered from a spontaneous mental illness that made gun possession illegal in Texas?
“CONGRESS” didn’t do anything.
The Legislature of the Sovereign State of TEXAS did.
How True.....:)
Yes, I do, since "making a little kid say" something isn't "establishment of religion".
Then what’s the effect?
If public school started making your child say "this country is under some deity you didn't believe in", would you object? (Assuming you have a child, of course.)
I'm from a place and generation where our public school homeroom class started each school day with a Bible reading. Usually the teacher let those students who wanted to do this pick out what they wanted to read and then read it out loud to the class. Then our homeroom teacher (and at least one other teacher) apparently found out that I was not Christian. The homeroom teacher then assigned me to read from the Bible. I had a couple of minutes to pick something to read. I had to ask friends what to read.
If that were to happen to me today, I would simply tell the teacher I didn't want to do it. But I didn't have the maturity then that I have now. There is a lot of peer pressure on a child to conform and not appear different.
I survived this mild episode, of course, but having the teacher do this made it tougher on me to refuse at the time. The teacher was well intentioned, but her action simply steeled me against people who try to impose their beliefs on others.
If you think Texas is really sovereign then try reinstituting the institution of slavery.
Potentially harmful? It wasn’t potentially harmful to the kids I grew up with, and probably not to anyone any of us knows. This is such PC bullcrap. I, for one, am tired of the victimhood we’re seeing all over the place now. We NEED Texans all over the US, with BIG hats! Love em.
A few of us women did a great study in “Java with the Judges.” I was amazed at how often the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord and how often he eventually, after they had to suffer for a few years, brought a ‘judge’ to rescue them. I loved that study. I got so much out of it and out of God’s love for all of us. I do believe He is withdrawing his protection from us and we may soon feel that. Sad, isn’t it? We have so much and still spit in His face.
THAT man is evil. He’s the devil’s right hand man (Lynn). I can’t bear to look at him.
I have a vested interest in Texas....my son moved there after college to start a job, and calls it home!
He truly loves Texas.
We don’t need slaves anymore. And each state IS sovereign.
I suggest you read some of the writings of the Founding Fathers.
Texas is a truly unique place. And it grows on you! :)
“Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible.”
Plano bump! (Middle East Plano that is)
is “God” a specific religion?
Please specify which Constitutionally-guaranteed right this abrogates.
Read what I wrote.
The Constitution overrides any law that Texas chooses to pass.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.