Point/Counterpoint
I pledge allegiance, to the flag
• • •
Trust in God’s morals
nly in a country that has strayed from
its roots could a judge strike down as
unconstitutional the phrase “under
God. ” This latest liberal effort to separate this
Union from, its beginning and its people from
the real Constitution should make every true
American outraged—not only at those
judges, but at ourselves that we have let such
un-American foolishness go on for so long.
For a long time in American history, the
courts held that this was a Christian nation.
Therefore, to be “under God” was and is an
American belief. It was this very view of ex
istence —being “under God”—that com
pelled the Founding Fathers to take the ac
tion of structuring a constitutional republic.
This nation has given greater freedom and
liberty to its people than any other country in
history. I do not mean freedom from moral re
straint, but liberty within the confines of do
ing what pleases The One True God.
Our governmental system, known as a
constitutional republic, was specifically
constructed on Christian principles. James
Madison said these words:
“We have staked the whole future of
American civilization, not upon the power
of government, far from it! We have staked
the future of all of our political institutions
upon the capacity of mankind for self-gov
ernment; upon the capacity of each and all
of us to govern ourselves, to control our
selves, to sustain ourselves according to the
ten commandments of God. ”
In these words, Madison not only de
scribes principled politics — i.e., to govern
yourself by moral principle—but he also
describes the absolute necessity for each of
the nation’s citizens to order their lives in
such a manner. This constitutional republic
could only come about and can only be
maintained when people put Christian
moral principle over all other concerns.
The Founding Fathers, like all of us, were
not perfect, but you don’t have to be perfect in
Guest Commentary
Lon
Mabon
order to aspire to it. They attempted to order
their lives by moral principle and they built
this nation on these same principles. It was a
life and a nation “under God. ” Thus, they
wrote a Constitution likewise “under God.”
Patrick Henry confirms this truth:
“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or
too often that this great nation was founded,
not by religionists, but Christians, not on re
ligions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ! ”
Today, many people openly advocate un
godly principles, while others who say they
hold to the Christian principles of our Found
ing Fathers act and vote as if they didn’t. We
must believe in the Constitution as our Found
ing Fathers wrote and meant it, and that means
it is based on Christian moral principle.
For those of you that have bought the liberal
ACLU he called “the separation of Church and
state, ” hear what John Quincy Adams said:
“The highest glory of the American revo
lution was that it connected in one indissol
uble bond the principles of civil govern
ment with the principles of Christianity.”
Some people may refuse to believe it, and
some may even teach others that it was not
so, but this attempt to rewrite history does
not alter the truth; it only reveals what set of
principles is guiding your own life.
We must not let revisionists, even if they
wear black robes, rewrite history or the Con
stitution. It is the only civil document we
have that guarantees our God-given rights.
And the power of the Constitution is our re
solve to keep it powerful.
“Under God” is a good place to be. He can
be trusted with our lives and our country.
Lon Mabon is the chairman of the Oregon Citizens Alliance.
His opinions do not necessarily represent those of the Emerald.
SORRfCTiOH
i
June 27) incorrectly identified M. Might Shyamalan’s second film. The movle» was *Unhreai<a&le *
The Emerald regrets the error.
Leave God out of it
Now we have truly entered the era of
ultra-patriotism-or-else.
Immediately on the heels of the
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision
that the words “under God” make school
recitation of the pledge of allegiance un
constitutional, national leaders frothed at
the mouth with condemnation.
Just nuts, was the
response from Senate
Majority Leader Tom
Daschle, D-S.D. “This is
the worst kind of politi
cal correctness run
amok,” Sen. Kit Bond,
R-Mo., said. And a
spokesman for Presi
dent George W. Bush,
leader ol me ngiit
against “terrah,” said it
was “ridiculous.”
Kleckner Wait a minute. If I do
unprovable and subject to myriad interpre
tations and permutations, depending on
one’s religion, somehow I am a ridiculous,
unpatriotic PC nut?
I beg to differ. If there were one facet of
America to stand out as truly patriotic, it
would be my right to pledge loving alle
giance to my country without having any
state employee or government agency tell
me whether or not I ought to believe in God.
The fervent appeals to tradition brought
forth in the wake of the decision sound
eerily like, “We’ve always discriminated
against non-believers. Do you want us to
stop now and destroy this great country?”
Our elected officials’ responses are
proof that Judge Alfred T. Goodwin — in
the interest of full disclosure, he is an
Oregon Daily Emerald alumni — was cor
rect in his ruling.
We need to be protected from the tyran
ny of politicians who don’t want to seem
soft on “terrah.” Somehow patriotism, des
perate flag-waving and the quest to stop al
Qaida are all wrapped up together in the
response. It’s frighteningly reminiscent, in
fact, of the early 1950s, when patriotism,
Editor in chief
not pledge that my
country is “under
God,” an idea wholly
desperate flag-waving and the quest to stop
“godless communists” were hopelessly
tangled.
Back then, the government inserted the
words “under God” into the pledge in the
hopes that blind propaganda would make
more people believers and would protect
us from the scourge of Godlessness. In
stead, it encouraged the McCarthy-ites to
continue their witch hunts.
I’d be happier if we were protected from
the scourge of unethical business decisions
and the immoral looting of low-income
workers. Belief in God doesn’t instantly
make you a good person — look at Enron
or WorldCom if you need proof.
And now, Paul Greenberg, editorial page
editor for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette,
has made the national panic even worse. In
a column, Greenberg asks if the “little plain
tiff in this case (couldn’t) just leave out
those two words when she recites the
pledge?”
In a word, no. And she shouldn’t have
to. The unfathomable gall of the religious
defenders absolutely amazes me. Why
should it be my burden to ignore the gov
ernment-sanctioned acknowledgment of
some God?
Why don’t we all just leave the words
out, and then I won’t have to feel like a sec
ond-class citizen simply because I won’t
join a God club. Everyone who wants God
in our pledge can simply insert those
words when they recite.
None of this is “political correctness.” It
is simply offensive that I be required to say
I believe in God when I pledge to my flag. It
is offensive that my currency trusts in God
even if I do not. It is offensive that my rep
resentatives have to be blessed by some
one’s God before they begin government
business. Remove it all.
Freedom in America should mean some
thing more than blind adherence to tradi
tion or angry political posturing. No one’s
religion is threatened by the Circuit Court’s
decision. In fact, it strengthens everyone’s
right to be patriotic.
Contact the editor in chief at editor@dailyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily represent those
of the Emerald.
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