In response to a lawsuit filed against the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District by a family who claims the Pledge of Allegiance discriminates against children with atheist beliefs, Assemblyman Ron Dancer has introduced legislation that protects the recitation of the Pledge at public meetings. The bill also extends the right of any public body to have its court costs and attorney fees paid for by unsuccessful objectors to the Pledge of Allegiance. In addition to schools, that includes local town governments, counties and the Legislature.
“For years, the courts have consistently upheld the reciting of our Pledge of Allegiance to the flag, yet thousands of public taxpayer dollars continue to be spent defending the Pledge,” said Dancer, R-Ocean, Monmouth (Matawan), Burlington and Middlesex. “This legislation will, for the first time, permit the courts to award attorney fees and costs to any New Jersey public body or public employee that wins such a lawsuit.
“Recovering taxpayers’ funds spent to defend the Pledge of Allegiance from objectors is overdue,” he continued. “Our school tax dollars are better spent on the students in the classroom, rather than attorneys in the court room.”
Dancer noted there is not a current state law that specifically permits any governmental body to recite the Pledge at a public meeting. Under this legislation, every public body would be authorized, but not required, to conduct the Pledge which has been a custom and tradition for decades.
“If anyone wants to remain silent during the Pledge of Allegiance that is their right,” said Dancer. “But it is not their right to silence us and make us pay to defend a right that was paid for by the men and women of our armed services.”
A state Superior Court judge heard arguments on the school district’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit Wednesday, but has not yet issued a ruling.
[TLS]
This is the original text of the pledge, as written by Francis Bellamy in 1882:
“I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
Notice something missing? It was not until 1954 that the words “under g-d” were added and the pledge revised to the following:
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under G-d, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
In 1951, the Knights of Columbus, the world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization, also began including the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.[16] In New York City, on April 30, 1951, the Board of Directors of the Knights of Columbus adopted a resolution to amend the text of their Pledge of Allegiance at the opening of each of the meetings of the 800 Fourth Degree Assemblies of the Knights of Columbus by addition of the words “under God” after the words “one nation.” Over the next two years, the idea spread throughout Knights of Columbus organizations nationwide. On August 21, 1952, the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus at its annual meeting adopted a resolution urging that the change be made universal and copies of this resolution were sent to the President, the Vice President (as Presiding Officer of the Senate) and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. The National Fraternal Congress meeting in Boston on September 24, 1952, adopted a similar resolution upon the recommendation of its president, Supreme Knight Luke E. Hart. Several State Fraternal Congresses acted likewise almost immediately thereafter. This campaign led to several official attempts to prompt Congress to adopt the Knights of Columbus’ policy for the entire nation. These attempts were eventually a success.[17]
In 1952, Susan Anald wrote a letter to President Truman suggesting the inclusion of “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mr. Langmack was a Danish philosopher and educator who came to the United States in 1911. He was one of the originators of the Prayer Breakfast and a religious leader in Washington, D.C. President Truman met with him along with several others to discuss the inclusion of “under God” just before “with liberty and justice”.[citation needed]
At the suggestion of a correspondent, Representative Louis C. Rabaut (D-Mich.), of Michigan sponsored a resolution to add the words “under God” to the Pledge in 1953.On February 7, 1954, with President Eisenhower sitting in Lincoln’s pew, the church’s pastor, George MacPherson Docherty, delivered a sermon based on the Gettysburg Address titled “A New Birth of Freedom.” He argued that the nation’s might lay not in arms but its spirit and higher purpose. He noted that the Pledge’s sentiments could be those of any nation, that “there was something missing in the pledge, and that which was missing was the characteristic and definitive factor in the American way of life.” He cited Lincoln’s words “under God” as defining words that set the United States apart from other nations.
This actions were taken specifically to show the Soviet Union that America was a better country because it was more spiritual. It was a defensive move, and nothing more.
Having said that, there is a clear separation of Church and State in this country. Many people believe that it is inappropriate to have a governmental official, and a government sponsored event use any language involving God.
I tend to agree with that though. Imagine if it read “one nation under allah?” or “one nation under the great turtle of the sea that created us all?”
To those who will claim that this country was founded based on religious grounds, let me quote to you the following:
” the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion”
Do you know who said that? President John Adams in the Treaty of Trippoli, receiving ratification unanimously from the U.S. Senate on June 7, 1797, and signed by Adams, taking effect as the law of the land on June 10, 1797.
What does the President Adams quote have to do with the Pledge? God does not indicate Christianity. If the Pledge had “under Christ” in it, I could understand this may be a problem
I always remain seated for crazy statist rituals. (Pledge of allegiance was written by the American Fascist Party. Look it up!)
Sometimes it gets me in trouble – spent 10.5 days in jail this August (all on a zero-calorie hunger strike, as always) for remaining seated in front of some angry bureaucrat in a black tutu.
“Land of the free”…