Church and state
2005-09-15 07:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mdlbearI note with considerable approval that a federal judge in Sacramento ruled Wednesday that requiring children to recite a Pledge of Allegiance that contains the phrase "under God" in public schools is unconstitutional.
I remember distinctly when that phrase was first inserted into the Pledge; I was in second grade at the time (1954). I felt it was an imposition at the time, and simply stood silently when the phrase was said -- as I do to this day when the occasion calls for it. Given the current administration and the likely makeup of the Supreme Court when the case finally reaches them, I have little doubt that the justices will find some way to weasel out of the fact that "under God" is clearly a government endorsement of a particular family of religions. But a temporary, local victory is all we're likely to get, so I'll enjoy it while I can.
I remember distinctly when that phrase was first inserted into the Pledge; I was in second grade at the time (1954). I felt it was an imposition at the time, and simply stood silently when the phrase was said -- as I do to this day when the occasion calls for it. Given the current administration and the likely makeup of the Supreme Court when the case finally reaches them, I have little doubt that the justices will find some way to weasel out of the fact that "under God" is clearly a government endorsement of a particular family of religions. But a temporary, local victory is all we're likely to get, so I'll enjoy it while I can.
