GOD STAYS IN Pledge of Allegiance in Schools

[delph998]

Schools are eliminating the Pledge of Allegiance because of "UNDER GOD." My sincerest apologies if this has been posted already.

By DEBERA CARLTON HARRELL AND MARGO HORNER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTERS

A federal appeals court has ruled that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional because it includes the words "under God," violating the separation of church and state.

The 2-1 decision -- handed down yesterday by a three-member panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco -- was heralded by atheists and civil rights activists and vilified by citizens ranging from President Bush to elementary school students.

NOTE: This article has been updated since it was originally published in the newspaper.
The judge who wrote the opinion put the ruling on hold indefinitely Thursday until fellow members of the 9th Circuit decide whether to reconsider the case.

If allowed to stand, the ruling would mean children in Washington and eight other Western states covered by the court could no longer recite the pledge in public schools.

It could also open the door to broader interpretation, legal experts say, banning the Pledge of Allegiance before city and county council meetings, school board meetings, and other public arenas.

After the ruling, U.S. House members gathered on the front steps of the Capitol to recite the pledge en masse -- the same place they defiantly sang "God Bless America" the night of the Sept. 11 attacks.

And senators, who were debating a defense bill, angrily stopped to unanimously pass a resolution denouncing the decision.

Indeed, the ruling elicited passionate responses from those on each side of the issue.

"I think in a sense the ruling stops the government from imposing religious pressure on people," said Dave Anderson, director of the Washington Chapter of American Atheists.

"The government is sponsoring a pledge that includes religious rhetoric."

Anderson said he believes the ruling would apply to all government functions.

The American Civil Liberties Union called the court's finding "correct and is consistent with recent (U.S.) Supreme Court rulings invalidating prayer at school events."


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I'll post when I hear some responses.