In talking with… okay…well, debating with people today… (As I’ve received quite a bit of debate, argument, guff, and support via AIM: lordandrei) over my opinions about the US Circuit 9 decision:
I define the first amendment
I react to my elected federal representatives
I make some generalizations in debate
In talking about this and thinking about it, I’ve come to an interesting opinion:
there seem to be a specific set of people:
1) People who strongly believe the God MUST be in the pledge; (or people that believe they must go along with this for their own well being)
2) People who are apathetic and believe it doesn’t really mean anything and no one should be upset about it
3) People who feel they can’t say the pledge because of ‘God’ (or people that support those with this opinion)
4) People who just don’t support pledging allegiance to a flag or nation
My problem is primarily with Group 1. So far I have heard stories of the Congress drafting resolutions that God must be included in the Pledge. Group one has said that God is part of our society, that this is the way things just are. This really makes me question our religious and personal freedom that we as a nation so direly pride ourselves on.
I have already received posts from people who’ve been told that they won’t get a job because they are wearing pentacles. I’ve known people who limit their display of their pagan heritage because they feel safer ‘going at it stealth.” I suppose I’m lucky because I’m in a job where my productivity and field allows ‘eccentricity.’ But in all honesty, my religious or philosophical beliefs should be of no question to anyone in this country as long as I am not in the practice of my own life getting in the way of their freedoms.
Personally, this kind of extends to my general belief of stop legislating the behavior in my bedroom. But this is another whole ball of wax.
Group 2 to me represents the biggest problem that we as a democracy have faced. The famous “Swing vote” people who are so detached from an issue, they’ll support whichever side has more flash, glitz, and draw. I think the pledge and the way it’s handled represents this. We don’t want our young to think, to decide, to process….we just want them to follow blindly.
Look again at the comments made by the people we voted into the congress and the presidency (we’ll a minority of you voted into the presidency 😉
They haven’t even stopped to think. One even went so far to say, “Well, anyone who values their job.”
You IDIOTS You are the people who put forth the laws that say, “To discriminate for a job against someone’s religious beliefs are illegal.” I hope the judge does run for higher office. I hope that Sen. Byrd is true to his word and tries to stop the man on the basis of his being an atheist. Because I really, and truly want to see a man sue the government for being denied a job on the basis of his religious beliefs.
Why is law and policy only good as long as it serves our needs. the moment that someone uses law in a way that we don’t like we jump up and shout foul. We go out of our way to complain. But unfortunately, the way we complain is to convince everyone who hasn’t made a decision that we’re right, they’re wrong and it’s a question of side vs. side.
Isn’t it time that we look at both sides of the issues? Pro and against. Figure out how to fix, not shove it in the face of one side or the other.
Stop calling it Pro life and Pro Choice. Would someone with some real brass stand up and decide what constitutes life. That way the abortionists, the animal rightists, the researchers, the fetal gene harvesters, and the vegetarians could all just sit down at the table and do their things.
I’m so tired of elections being a list of hot ticket issues vs. an elusive list of oppositions that claim they are not oppositions.
I think the key word I’m going for once again is
Indivisible.
Stop making the issues
Invisible.
« An afterthought The captivity of the non-God fearing American’s… Day 3 »
And then you have me…annoyed that the entire pledge was banned rather than striking the offensive phrase from it 😛
I just finished writing every representative I could think of and the President — a nice rational argument based on history and the actual content of the constitution as well as my explanations of why I think the phrase “under God” is unconstitutional. I dont’ know that it will do any good but at least I DID something.
i have SO much to say on this issue, but im keeping it simple for now cause im braindead. first in response to this:
i agree. CONGRESS put “under god” in it in 1954, why dont we just take that out? and put back indivisable as andrei said?
i fall into two, well three groups. overall i dont care much, its not apathy but i think its just something that IS a part of our society, and i dont like it–but to a point i agree that most of the kids dont really think about it “under god” is just a term. then there’s the pagan that i am going that’s bullshit, total bullshit. then there’s the part of me that never cared to pledge to it ANYWAY for other reasons.
the most disturbing comment from someone i saw last night though was this: “if they dont like it and dont want to pledge they can get out!” oh my fucking god? now if you arent christian you cant stay in america? thats as bad as what bush said basically saying that if you’re not christian you are an enemy after the whole bombing things. dubyah spends a lot of time with his foot in his mouth. but i wish everyone would understand its not the PLEDGE itself that these people have problems with, it doesnt make them unpatriotic, it just makes them non-christian …the two dont go hand in hand. i just dont get it. and the one school teacher that said she thought patriotism was a personal choice, why i agree with her supporting the decision, again i have a problem that it’s being spun as if we arent patriotic if we disagree with the under god part….
anyway….