I’m surprised about this and glad. It’s about goddamn time. I’ve noticed that most polls have 25% of people or so in support of this decision and 75% of people disagree. Let’s have it say ‘One nation under Allah’ and see how many people support this.
Citing a concurring opinion in a Supreme Court decision, the 9th Circuit said, “The Pledge, as currently codified, is an impermissible government endorsement of religion because it sends a message to unbelievers ‘that they are outsiders, not full members of the political community, and an accompanying message to adherents that they are insiders, favored members of the political community.'”
The court said the 1954 insertion of “under God” was made “to recognize a Supreme Being” and advance religion at a time “when the government was publicly inveighing against atheistic communism” — a fact, the court said, the federal government did not dispute.
The appeals court noted that when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the act adding “under God,” he said, “From this day forward, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural schoolhouse, the dedication of our Nation and our people to the Almighty.”
I’m pleased with it. It never made much sense to me.
Unfortunately, it looks like this is going to be overturned by both judges who voted for it by tomorrow’s breakfast. Did you see what Bush had to say about it? Whatever.