September 24, 2004, 08:05 AM
House passes Pledge Protection Act
Ahem.
the United States of America, and
to the Republic for which it stands, one nation,
UNDER GOD,
indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”
That was very cathartic. What's better, though, is the news that the US House of Representatives has taken action to protect the Pledge from an unconstitutional attack by the federal courts:
In a vote with election-year consequences, the House sought to assure that God's 50-year place in the Pledge of Allegiance will be safe from federal court challenges.
The bill, approved on a 247-173 vote Thursday, would prevent federal courts, including the Supreme Court, from ruling on whether the words “under God” should be stricken from the pledge.
The legislation drew strong protests from Democrats who said they want “under God” to remain but viewed the measure as an unconstitutional attack on the judicial branch. They said it was meant mainly to force them into a controversial vote just six weeks before the election.
[...]
“This bill has been brought to the floor to embarrass some members, so I respect whatever decisions they have to make in light of the motivations behind it,” said Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. In the end, 34 Democrats voted for the bill and six Republicans opposed it.
I have one question: If the words 'under God' in the Pledge are so trivial as to be left to a court system that is hostile towards religion, then why would Democrats be so embassed to vote against the legislation? Is it because they really are that far outside of the mainstream? That seems to be what Pelosi is saying.
So I say let them be embarassed. If this is their position, it ought to be exposed to the public. And if they vote contrary to their actual views to avoid embarassment, then they're nothing short of cowards.
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