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dslartooOh joy.
Michael Newdow is at it again.
Who he? Oh, he's the atheist in California who sued the state on behalf of his daughter because he thought she shouldn't have to speak the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance in the mornings at her school.
His case was rejected 8-0 -- 8 to nothing! in 2004, on the grounds that he didn't have legal standing to represent his daughter (who, by all accounts, really didn't CARE about the Pledge one way or the other), since she is under sole custody of her mother.
Newdow wouldn't take no for an answer and in January 2005 he filed a complaint in FEDERAL court. In September he got his wish: a federal judge ruled that reciting the Pledge in public schools is, in fact, unconstitutional.
Now the motherfucker is at it again. He's filed a 162-page complaint against the President and Congress alleging that the national motto "In God We Trust" is unconstitutional as well.
You know what, Newdow? Like it or not, those are the words under which this country was founded. [[Edit: It has been pointed out that I'm way off base on this one; I'll address it properly in an update to the post later and reply to those who've already left comments. The rest of the entry, I think, is still accurate.]]
Our Founding Fathers were religious types and believed strongly in a God; they didn't feel the need to make a secret of it, and they were proud of it. As, I imagine, you are proud of your atheism. Is "In God We Trust" really that much of a surprise to you, then? I mean, the words even appear on our money.
In other words, it has been like this your entire damn life.
No one is dragging you into a church. No one is asking you to convert to Catholicism. No one is forcing you to recite "In God We Trust". Guess what? There's another rather important principle under which this country was founded. It's called freedom of religion. That means that you aren't going to be hounded or driven out of the country or stoned to death or forced to convert because you happen to be an atheist, despite the fact that most of the U.S. does follow a Christian religion of one brand or another. It does NOT give you protection against being offended, something which apparently happens to you at the drop of a hat.
Here's another newsflash, Newdow. I'm an atheist, and guess what? I don't give a damn about the words "In God We Trust". See, I actually have tolerance and respect for other religions, and people expressing their religious views doesn't bother me at all.
Get off your high horse and go find something more important to do.
-- END OF LINE --
[[The Oracle would like to know your favorite dessert.]]
Michael Newdow is at it again.
Who he? Oh, he's the atheist in California who sued the state on behalf of his daughter because he thought she shouldn't have to speak the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance in the mornings at her school.
His case was rejected 8-0 -- 8 to nothing! in 2004, on the grounds that he didn't have legal standing to represent his daughter (who, by all accounts, really didn't CARE about the Pledge one way or the other), since she is under sole custody of her mother.
Newdow wouldn't take no for an answer and in January 2005 he filed a complaint in FEDERAL court. In September he got his wish: a federal judge ruled that reciting the Pledge in public schools is, in fact, unconstitutional.
Now the motherfucker is at it again. He's filed a 162-page complaint against the President and Congress alleging that the national motto "In God We Trust" is unconstitutional as well.
You know what, Newdow? Like it or not, those are the words under which this country was founded. [[Edit: It has been pointed out that I'm way off base on this one; I'll address it properly in an update to the post later and reply to those who've already left comments. The rest of the entry, I think, is still accurate.]]
Our Founding Fathers were religious types and believed strongly in a God; they didn't feel the need to make a secret of it, and they were proud of it. As, I imagine, you are proud of your atheism. Is "In God We Trust" really that much of a surprise to you, then? I mean, the words even appear on our money.
In other words, it has been like this your entire damn life.
No one is dragging you into a church. No one is asking you to convert to Catholicism. No one is forcing you to recite "In God We Trust". Guess what? There's another rather important principle under which this country was founded. It's called freedom of religion. That means that you aren't going to be hounded or driven out of the country or stoned to death or forced to convert because you happen to be an atheist, despite the fact that most of the U.S. does follow a Christian religion of one brand or another. It does NOT give you protection against being offended, something which apparently happens to you at the drop of a hat.
Here's another newsflash, Newdow. I'm an atheist, and guess what? I don't give a damn about the words "In God We Trust". See, I actually have tolerance and respect for other religions, and people expressing their religious views doesn't bother me at all.
Get off your high horse and go find something more important to do.
-- END OF LINE --
[[The Oracle would like to know your favorite dessert.]]
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no subject
Date: 2006-05-11 03:23 pm (UTC)Incidentally, the Thomas More Law Center is the same group that tried to bring Intelligent Design into various schools.
As indicated above, In God We Trust was not put on our currency or in our pledge by the Founding Fathers, it was put into place by religious enthusiasts subsequent to the founding of our nation.
Sadly, it takes extremists to challenge this law, but in this particular case, I think it makes for an interesting debate.
And people expresing their religious views via public currency and national pledges? We should respect only one faith on our money? Can we just put phrases that express the rest of the nation's religious views, too? Some folks don't trust any deity when it comes to money, and others trust a different God. Then there are the Pagans. The government shouldn't favor any one religion. And our nation was founded on that principle, more than it being founded as a Christian nation.
As for "it" having been like this for his entire life (and ours, for certain), that's not exactly a valid argument, either, Phil. It does explain why a majority of us don't feel concerned enough about this issue to fight for it. I mean, ignorant children in Afghanistan don't know any different on certain issues, too. What was formerly a more secular nation with a thriving academic climate has now become a theocracy, thanks to instability brought on by wars, a generation of people don't remember what it's like to function beyond the Koran. An extremist interpretation of the Koran at that. But it's been like that their whole lives, Phil.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-11 04:29 pm (UTC)Which one? God, as a singular being, is a concept revered by Christians, Jews, Muslims, Zoroastrians, certain Plains Indian tribes (single over-god, spirits as lesser gods. Kinda like Catholic saints), even Satanism. Yes, the intent is Christian, but there is more than one monotheistic religion going these days.
And as a minor point, not seeking a huge debate, it is sadly not and extremist interpretation of the Koran. It is a rather literal one that promotes killing any non-believer and so on.
no subject
Date: 2006-05-11 06:13 pm (UTC)As for monotheism, that just doesnt' cover the whole spectrum, does it? It really has no place on currency.