Fellow Ladera Ranch Residents, A three-judge panel of the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled the use of the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance does not constitute a violation of the separation of church and state in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, nor does use of the words "In God We Trust" on U.S. currency. This decision overturns the ruling to the opposite that the same court made in 2002. Whew, thank God that's settled. Or is it? Michael Newdow, an atheist from Sacramento who filed the original suit, plans to ask the appeals court to rehear his case and, failing that, promises to take it to the U.S. Supreme Court. And so the beat goes on. I believe in a clear separation of church and state and I'm deeply concerned about the encroachment the extreme Christian zealots are slowly forcing on our government by bullying politicians at the ballot box. But, in this case, the use of these references to God should be upheld if, for no other reason than, they are long established American traditions. However, I have a favorite saying that's quite applicable here that goes, "Did you ever notice that the people who want to tell you about their religion and their religious beliefs never want to hear about yours." The truth is, while the country is predominately Christian, the big growth within the major denominations is occurring not with the Christian faith but other religions. But there's a real danger in forcing religious beliefs into our federal government and our laws that goes back to the founding of this country. People first came here specifically to get away from religious persecution and the U.S. Constitution was written specifically to protect the right of Freedom of Religion. The problem with forcing one's religious beliefs on the rest of the country is, once the government has power over religion, it can then determine which religious beliefs the rest of us must follow and obey. You don't believe me? Listen to what Buena Park Councilman Fred Smith said about this latest ruling, "I'm happy we still have some Americans up there!" So believing in God is now a defining principle of what constitutes an American! The sad thing is, this is just one of many petty issues – such as flag laws, same-sex marriage, and who's tougher on terrorism – that politicians on both sides of the aisle use to divide our country and keep us from solving the serious problems we, as a nation, are facing, such as education, universal health care, run-away spending, and unthinkable deficits. Jim Schmitt, Editor and Publisher
I also believe the crèche and other religious symbols should be allowed to be displayed on government property during holidays. And while it is incumbent upon our republic to give serious weight to the minority position, this country is predominately Christian and sometimes the majority wins.
It strikes me that the fanatics who have wrapped the American flag around their religious beliefs and who are attempting to force the literal application of their beliefs on our government are actually subverting the very principles on which this country was founded. Think about it!