Concerning The Battle To Keep "God" In The Pledge

By James Donahue

September 2004

The Christian-charged Bush Administration did all it could during its first four-year tenure to break down the framework of the U. S. Constitution and force Christian values deeper into the laws of the land.

The erasure of personal liberties under the Patriot Act, the restrictions on stem cell research and outspoken opposition to abortion and gay marriage are among the best known cases in point.

Now the Republican controlled House has unleashed yet another blockbuster: it passed legislation preventing the Supreme Court from ruling on the question of striking the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance.

The bill is not expected to go before the Senate until after the November elections. If the Republicans emerge next year in control of both House and Senate, we can expect it to pass.

It is difficult for me to believe that the American people are quietly watching . . . and apparently supporting . . . the rapid dismantling of the framework of the government system they fought and shed their blood for over the past 200 years.

Anyone who has studied the basic design of government in high school should understand that the three branches; executive, legislative and judicial, work as a check and balance system to assure the absence of political tampering.

A few years ago I was alarmed when the courts began changing legislative law in various rulings. Now we have a clear case of our legislators attempting to manipulate the actions of the court.

During the debate on the House floor, supporters of the bill insisted that Congress always had the authority to limit federal court jurisdiction. They said the bill would protect an affirmation of religion that is part of the national heritage.

That argument, in itself, is a crock of horse manure. Congress never had the authority to limit court decisions. The courts are in place to interpret laws written by Congress.

While the pledge has been around for about 100 years, the phrase "under God" is relatively new. The original wording of the pledge has been altered several times since first published by Baptist minister Francis Bellamy in 1892. The words “under God” were added by an act of Congress in 1956. The motivation for the change was inspired by intense lobbying by the Knights of Columbus.

The Pledge of Allegiance, once a revered statement of support for a nation founded by men who truly sought to build a model form of government, has not only been tampered with. The concept of government it describes no longer exists.

For example, the United States is no longer a republic. While we still think we are electing our representatives to state and federal seats, the election system has become so flawed that the outcome is usually always fixed. The last president the people really elected and sent to Washington may have been John F. Kennedy.

Lobbiests with deep pockets control the direction of legislative action. The wishes of the electorate are mostly overlooked. 

And if you think we have liberty and justice in this country, you are living a pipe dream.

Yet I see people stand at public meetings all across the land, blindly put their hands over their hearts, gaze at the flag, and say the words to that pledge. I find it impossible to join them. I know the words have been a lie for a long time now.

I feel somewhat cynical writing an editorial opinion piece that tends to support the Constitution, since I am no longer sure this document is as important as it once was. I reached the conclusion not long ago that the movement toward a single world government system may be vital to human survival.

Overpopulation, the collapse of our environment, the growing threat of extreme weather changes, and the loss of critical resources like oil and water are issues that can only be resolved by imposing strict controls on the way we live and conduct our business.

There will be no room in this instance for personal freedoms and liberties. If we are to control the actions of the masses we must do it with an iron fist. Humans have demonstrated time and time again that they cannot be trusted to tend the garden voluntarily if there is money to be made on the other side of the fence.

In the future, under the world rule, all must be for the preservation and support of the Mother Earth. Anyone that violates this rule must face capital punishment. Our dilemma is so critical that anything less will bring a quick and total extinction of the human race.

For this reason, I strangely support the current administration’s moves to dismantle the Constitution. That document must go before the United States has a chance to join the movement toward a world government.

I just wish they weren’t doing it in the name of Jesus.