Is his fifteen minutes up yet?
Michael Newdow, atheist, doctor, lawyer, minister, etc., has re-emerged in American public life. This time, he has added a new item to his agenda. Newdow, you may recall, is the individual who sued, on behalf of his daughter, to have the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance declared unconstitutional. His initial success with the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals prompted a public outcry, and the victory was eventually taken from him by the Supreme Court when it ruled he did not have standing to bring a lawsuit on behalf of his daughter, since he did not have legal custody of her.
Like Freddy, Jason, and all of the other horror flick characters who just won't go away, Newdow is back. Once again, he is attempting to have "under God" stricken from the Pledge of Allegiance. In this effort, he has enlisted the assistance of a number of parents who actually do have custody of their children to file the lawsuit (warning: the complaint is in pdf format, it's long, and very repetitive).
Newdow's new twist is the more immediate cause -- he has filed a lawsuit in the District of Columbia seeking an injunction banning "Christian religious acts" from the presidential inauguration, including having ministers appear and to prevent the use of a Bible on which the president places his left hand when he is administered the oath of office.
Newdow complains that he is "offended" by any reference to God at a public ceremony. Having read portions of his inaugural ceremony complaint, offense is a two-way street:
"To Plaintiff, acknowledgements of God (much less endorsements of God) do not express confidence in the future. On the contrary, they remind him of the most egregious past human conduct, where people have literally burned others alive – an unfathomable act – merely because their victims held different religious views. . . . They remind him of September 11, 2001, when a fanatic and his religious followers turned four of our airplanes into bombs, murdering 3,000 of our citizens … all in the name of their God."
Beyond the inflammatory language, Newdow also states that "Interlarding those ceremonies with clergymen espousing sectarian religious dogma does not unite, but rather divides, our citizenry. Similarly, instead of instilling confidence in our governmental structure, it tears at the very foundation upon which that structure is built."
Really? The very foundation on which our government is built? Not according to the builders (inaugural quotations available at bartleby.com):
George Washington -- "[I]t would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge. . . . No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States." First Inaugural Address, 04/30/89.
"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports." Farewell Address.
"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor." 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation.
John Adams -- "And may that Being who is supreme over all, the Patron of Order, the Fountain of Justice, and the Protector in all ages of the world of virtuous liberty, continue His blessing upon this nation and its Government and give it all possible success and duration consistent with the ends of His providence." Inaugural Address, 03/04/97.
"[I]t is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue." Letter to Zabdiel Adams, 06/21/76.
"[W]e have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. . . . Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." Works of John Adams.
Thomas Jefferson -- "I shall need, too, the favor of that Being in whose hands we are, who led our fathers, as Israel of old, from their native land and planted them in a country flowing with all the necessaries and comforts of life; who has covered our infancy with His providence and our riper years with His wisdom and power, and to whose goodness I ask you to join in supplications with me that He will so enlighten the minds of your servants, guide their councils, and prosper their measures that whatsoever they do shall result in your good, and shall secure to you the peace, friendship, and approbation of all nations." Second Inaugural Address, 03/04/05.
James Madison -- "In these my confidence will under every difficulty be best placed, next to that which we have all been encouraged to feel in the guardianship and guidance of that Almighty Being whose power regulates the destiny of nations, whose blessings have been so conspicuously dispensed to this rising Republic, and to whom we are bound to address our devout gratitude for the past, as well as our fervent supplications and best hopes for the future." First Inaugural Address, 03/04/09.
Madison was the man who introduced the first ten amendments in the House of Representatives. More on his position on religion in public life can be found here.
One would think that those who laid the foundation would have more insight on its structure than one who comes along two centuries later arguing that it is destroyed by invoking religion.
Like Freddy, Jason, and all of the other horror flick characters who just won't go away, Newdow is back. Once again, he is attempting to have "under God" stricken from the Pledge of Allegiance. In this effort, he has enlisted the assistance of a number of parents who actually do have custody of their children to file the lawsuit (warning: the complaint is in pdf format, it's long, and very repetitive).
Newdow's new twist is the more immediate cause -- he has filed a lawsuit in the District of Columbia seeking an injunction banning "Christian religious acts" from the presidential inauguration, including having ministers appear and to prevent the use of a Bible on which the president places his left hand when he is administered the oath of office.
Newdow complains that he is "offended" by any reference to God at a public ceremony. Having read portions of his inaugural ceremony complaint, offense is a two-way street:
"To Plaintiff, acknowledgements of God (much less endorsements of God) do not express confidence in the future. On the contrary, they remind him of the most egregious past human conduct, where people have literally burned others alive – an unfathomable act – merely because their victims held different religious views. . . . They remind him of September 11, 2001, when a fanatic and his religious followers turned four of our airplanes into bombs, murdering 3,000 of our citizens … all in the name of their God."
Beyond the inflammatory language, Newdow also states that "Interlarding those ceremonies with clergymen espousing sectarian religious dogma does not unite, but rather divides, our citizenry. Similarly, instead of instilling confidence in our governmental structure, it tears at the very foundation upon which that structure is built."
Really? The very foundation on which our government is built? Not according to the builders (inaugural quotations available at bartleby.com):
George Washington -- "[I]t would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the people of the United States a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes, and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success the functions allotted to his charge. . . . No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the United States." First Inaugural Address, 04/30/89.
"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports." Farewell Address.
"Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor." 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation.
John Adams -- "And may that Being who is supreme over all, the Patron of Order, the Fountain of Justice, and the Protector in all ages of the world of virtuous liberty, continue His blessing upon this nation and its Government and give it all possible success and duration consistent with the ends of His providence." Inaugural Address, 03/04/97.
"[I]t is religion and morality alone which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand. The only foundation of a free constitution is pure virtue." Letter to Zabdiel Adams, 06/21/76.
"[W]e have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. . . . Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." Works of John Adams.
Thomas Jefferson -- "I shall need, too, the favor of that Being in whose hands we are, who led our fathers, as Israel of old, from their native land and planted them in a country flowing with all the necessaries and comforts of life; who has covered our infancy with His providence and our riper years with His wisdom and power, and to whose goodness I ask you to join in supplications with me that He will so enlighten the minds of your servants, guide their councils, and prosper their measures that whatsoever they do shall result in your good, and shall secure to you the peace, friendship, and approbation of all nations." Second Inaugural Address, 03/04/05.
James Madison -- "In these my confidence will under every difficulty be best placed, next to that which we have all been encouraged to feel in the guardianship and guidance of that Almighty Being whose power regulates the destiny of nations, whose blessings have been so conspicuously dispensed to this rising Republic, and to whom we are bound to address our devout gratitude for the past, as well as our fervent supplications and best hopes for the future." First Inaugural Address, 03/04/09.
Madison was the man who introduced the first ten amendments in the House of Representatives. More on his position on religion in public life can be found here.
One would think that those who laid the foundation would have more insight on its structure than one who comes along two centuries later arguing that it is destroyed by invoking religion.
posted by Hal | 1:01 PM
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