America’s higher courts sent mixed messages last week about the place of religion in government.
First the Ninth United States Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday ruled The Pledge of Allegiance violated the First Amendment’s prohibition against state endorsement of religion.
The 2-1 decision struck down a 1954 federal law adding the phrase “under God” to the pledge adopted initially by Congress in 1942 as part of the U.S. Flag Code.
Then the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision on Thursday approved the use of public-education taxes for vouchers allowing students to attend parochial schools.
The circuit decision hopefully will lead to banning of religious symbolism in official coins, currency, buildings, national songs and courtroom oaths.
Nothing but a future reversal will alter the Supreme Court’s blatant rape of public education’s already-diminished funding sources.
And given the Supreme Court’s genuflection to the religious right, the circuit court’s pledge decision almost certainly will be reversed on appeal.
That’s a damned shame. (30 JUNE 2002)
