Not that I really wanted to get involved in this one, but reading one of the news stories on Yahoo! set my teeth to grinding. Here’s the bit of nonsense in question:
Senate Chaplain Lloyd Ogilvie joined the fray in his opening prayer on the Senate floor on Thursday, saying: “Almighty God …. We acknowledge the separation of sectarianism and state, but affirm the belief that there is no separation between God and state.”
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, thanked Ogilvie, and said: “He spoke for all of us. We are one nation under God.”
Uh, Lloyd? Tom? Last time I checked, “freedom of religion” means that I don’t have to acknowledge your God, and my government (that would be you) shouldn’t be forcing your God down my throat.
A phrase added to the Pledge half a century ago is being removed because it violates church/state separation. Cool.
Yahoo! – Lawmakers Denounce…
Comments
3 responses to “One nation, with liberty.”
Oh brother. And here I was hoping you meant that the Senate was backpedalling. Dammit.
Dammit dammit dammit. And again, dammit. It’s not even about “one nation under God” being objectionable to me, it’s about maintaining the freedom of religion these bastards are supposed to be defending and perpetuating.
Ah, but it looks like the backpedaling has already begun:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&ncid=514&e=2&cid=514&u=/ap/20020627/ap_on_re_us/pledge_of_allegiance_23
j
Wow. I love how the chaplain of the Senate says something that directly violates the first amendment. Or would violate it, if he were making some official decree. Yarrrrr.