In Pledge Case, Passing the Test: Newdow Withstands Justices' Inquiries
I just love wading into no-win arguments, and a beauty was argued yesterday before the US Surpreme Court. Does it violate the Constitution for public school students to recite the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance? Before we get too far into things, how about we review a few facts relating to the Pledge:
1) The words "under God" were not in the original pledge, which was written in 1892.
2) "Under God" was inserted into the Pledge by Congress in 1954.
3) Congress was reacting to heightened tensions with the officially atheist Soviet Union (God***n godless Commies....).
Accordingly, one could make the argument that the words "under God" were a political consideration from the start, and they really have nothing to do with the spirit of the Pledge. Why, then, do so many expend so much emotional capital on those two words- eight little letters?
My own personal feeling is that "under God" serves only one person: to divide. If you are a Christian, you're probably thinking, "OK, so where's the fire?" However, if you're a Jew, or a Buddhist, or even an atheist, being forced to recite the pledge is akin to being forced to professing belief in something you don't in fact believe in. Trust me, I'm a Buddhist, and that is exactly what the Pledge of Allegiance feels like to me. I have no problem with the original wording of the Pledge, but "under God" smacks of...well, I digress. In fact, I have a much different solution to this problem.
Why don't we just get rid of the Pledge of Allegiance altogether? If you look at it as enforcing conformity, what, then, is the appeal? If you need to recite a pledge to reinforce to allegiance to God or Country, you're in trouble to begin with. Why are we focusing on something that is such a divisive flashpoint? Is there no other way for us to demonstrate our love of our country and our devotion to our religious faith?
In the final analysis, the Pledge of Allegiance is just a collection of words. Most of us recited them repeatedly in school because...well, we had to. Now those words are driving a wedge between people in this country at a time when we really need the exact opposite. Let's get rid of the silly thing and begin to find focus on some symbols that really matter. This is beyond silly, y'all....
