I understand the reasoning and can respect the historical context in which people chose to write God's name but it does not make practical sense. If we know that "G_d" means "God" than why couldn't someone deface it just the same? To me, as a catholic raised in a parochial school by a 5 foot tall nun with a 4 foot lead-lined pointer, I take this to mean the writer is a coward and afraid to put God's name on display for cowardly reasons.
The writer of this piece is concerned about God being removed from the public view yet we shouldn't even include him in our own text? Sounds like the terrorists won right out of the starting block. Doesn't make any sense...