7/12/02
I am writing this letter to express to you my sincere concerns
following the recent public outcry over the ruling of the 9th
Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the inclusion of the words "under
God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.
I would urge you to support this decision and to not engage in any
effort to counter the decision via legislation or an attempt to
amend the Constitution.
While the vast majority of Americans profess Christianity as their
religion, there is a significant minority that do not. I am a
member of that minority.
Our Constitution guarantees that no religion will be promoted over
another, that our government shall not become entangled in the
matter of religion, and that no one shall be forced to acknowledge a
religion against their will. But by the act of Congress and the
President in 1954, that is exactly what happened: Christianity was
imposed upon those who practice alternative religions such as Buddhism,
Hinduism, Islam, Paganism and others who do not adhere to the majority
religion. It is also imposed upon those who profess no religion at all, a
right that our Forefathers guaranteed by the first amendment of our
Constitution.
This McCarthy Era law, as well as similar legislation of morality
and religion such as the 1957 law replacing "E Pluribus Unum"
with "In God We Trust" need to be struck down in order to preserve
the integrity of our system and preserve the basic human rights of
EVERY citizen, not just those of a vocal majority.
Again I would urge you to not support any effort to overturn this
ruling and to also act to reverse similar legislation that provides
a defacto endorsement of one religion over another, as "under God"
does.
Return the Pledge to what it was when my Grandfather spoke it and
fought for it in World War II.