I didn't know which forum to post this, so I just take the easy road and post it here. There has been some discussion of this in several threads on the board, and so when I was asked to pass this around, I will do it here...
INTERNET RADIO BROADCAST
HOSTED BY: THE INFIDEL GUY FRIDAY, JUNE 28, 2002(TONIGHT) AT 5:00 PM PACIFIC/8:00 PM EASTERN http://www.infidelguy.com click the "Listen" icon to hear the broadcast, or: http://www.infidelguy.com/listen.html WHAT YOU WON'T HEAR IN THE MEDIA THE INFIDEL GUY, ONLINE ATHEIST COMMUNITIES, ET AL, WILL GET TO THE TRUTH: THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE RULING WAS NOT A MISTAKE. Tomorrow's show listed here: http://www.infidelguy.com/shows.htm Dear Atheists of Silicon Valley, Humanist leadership, FRFF, Jim Heldberg, et al: As you know, the media has provided very superficial coverage of the issues that surround the recent CA court ruling, which opined that "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional for coercive use in public schools. Immediately afterward, our "representative" government went AWOL, using their easy access to TV cameras to quell any discussion by mindlessly harping on the status quo. I think they're getting a bit used to kissing religious ass on Capitol Hill. We are to expect an automated overturn of the decision, without requiring any - you know - LEGAL justification. But if it isn't overturned in the courts, Congress assures us that they will pass illegal legislation to override judicial review. Then President Bush tells the world with a straight face: "our rights come from God." I think he should be impeached just for being that dumb. You can ignore it, but the McCarthyist wart on the face of American patriotism isn't going away. Apparently it falls on atheists to do this tedious clerical work. Be clear: politicians and the media blitz have produced NO justifiable argument for keeping "under God" in the pledge. We've got arrogant Christians telling us we're a Christian nation so they're not worried [about trouncing atheist liberties], and juvenile retorts like "I have been saying the pledge my whole life - arrest me!" Atheists and atheist groups have not been conspiring to push this court decision through, but we need to make it clear to our absent-minded representatives that it was not a mistake. The decision preserves democracy, the wisdom to keep church and state separate, and the true intentions of the poem's author. This is one simple issue where the secular community needs to take the moral high ground and not give in to absurdity. I know I have a lot to say about this apparently "insignificant" ruling, and you do, too. A.S.V. & local A.A. affiliates: Some have been meditating upon the finer points of American religion & politics for decades, without a pulpit from which to express a secular rebuttal. We have respectable contacts in local media who can use the unique elements we will be bringing up tomorrow. Please refer them to this broadcast, as it should be quite educational. Please quickly notify secular mailing lists. Thanks! xxxxxxx (name and email address removed by me)