Should schools lose the current Pledge?

YES
Michael Newdow:
It's a daily dose of religious dogma

Last June, a three-judge panel in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld my challenge to the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance. That decision was sustained a few weeks ago, when the full court confirmed that public schools (within that circuit's jurisdiction) may no longer recite the Pledge with those two words included. The ruling has been temporarily stayed while the defendants decide whether to seek Supreme Court review.

Meanwhile, the superintendent of the defendant school district has stated, "[W]e are confident that we will win."  But win what? A fight to show that he has no concern for the religious beliefs of students and families he's supposed to protect? A battle to keep instilling his preferred religious dogma into each school day? A crusade to ignore the principles underlying the Constitution?

The superintendent characterizes the lawsuit as one in which acts of patriotism are being challenged. But, as everyone well knows, that is completely disingenuous. Not once has anyone suggested that children shouldn't engage in patriotic acts or that the schools don't have a valid interest in fostering patriotic feelings. The issue is solely whether or not the majority of citizens should ever be allowed to infuse government with their preferred religious ideology, as they did when the words "under God" were illicitly placed into the Pledge in 1954. For any official to couch the debate in terms of patriotism is nothing but an act of cowardice and deceit.

There is not a single word in any of my briefs that has ever questioned the patriotic goals of the state. The basis of the litigation has always been quite clear, and it is limited to a mere 10 words that are really not hard to remember: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." So why would an educator--someone we must assume has no difficulties with reading comprehension--persist in ignoring that First Amendment issue? Why would he flagrantly abandon his obligation to ensure that every student can attend public school without the inculcation of religious dogma and redirect the focus to a matter that is not in dispute?

According to the United States Department of Education, "the First Amendment requires public school officials to be neutral in their treatment of religion." Who in their right mind contends that leading children every day in saying that we are "one nation under God" is neutral? What educator reads into the current Pledge that the denial of God's existence is afforded equal status with the contrary view?

Our public schools are supposed to be bastions of tolerance and understanding, where the values we all cherish are to be safeguarded for the future. Because religious ideologies don't fit into a "we all" construct, they--by constitutional design--are specifically excluded from this arena. Only secular ideals--such as honesty and respect--are those that the schools are permitted to impart. Our officials should understand that mischaracterizing an issue in order to ignore the earnest religious beliefs of some students and their families is neither honest nor respectful.

Michael Newdow, a board-certified emergency physician based in Sacramento, Calif., is an activist on religious freedom and family law issues.

NO
Patti Richardson:
It helps unify the nation

As I became more involved with my union, I started to attend our local school board meetings. Each one begins with the Pledge of Allegiance. It had been years since I had recited this Pledge. Many functions and events I have attended over the years always seemed to begin with the national anthem but not the Pledge of Allegiance. Repeating those remembered words once again felt warm and good, like putting on a pair of comfortable slippers. I remember back to my grade school days when we stood each morning to face the flag and say this pledge. We took pride in having learned the words by heart just as our parents had. It was a tradition passed on that no one questioned back then.

Now there are those who wish to change this tradition. They seek to exclude the phrase "under God." I disagree! After the events of Sept. 11, you heard and saw the words "God Bless America" everywhere. Bumper stickers, yard signs, billboards, radio, television--it was a unifying, healing message, much like the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in classrooms across America each and every morning. Now, with so many Americans risking their lives to protect and defend our liberties here and abroad, we should do everything we can to encourage our united spirit and our national community. And the Pledge of Allegiance is a big part of that effort.

Just ask the U.S. House of Representatives. Recently the House voted 400-7 to condemn a federal court's decision to curb the Pledge of Allegiance in our schools. "One nation under God" underscores the religious faith at the core of the nation's founding, and reciting the Pledge is an act of patriotism and not a religious exercise, the House argues. They are absolutely right.

Those who sought religious freedom founded this country. I don't care if you choose not to believe in God. I don't care if you think God is a woman, a mystical spirit, black, white, red, yellow or polka dot. Your beliefs are just that, yours. In this country, you have that freedom. Pledging your allegiance to the flag of the United States of America reinforces that liberty.

Those who disagree with one phrase of the Pledge of Allegiance have an option: Just don't say it. Remain respectfully silent, if you choose, and be proud of our flag and all it represents. At the same time, don't deny me my right to include it. This tradition gives me, and millions of other citizens like me, a feeling of security, hope and peace. It is the warmth of a tradition that is good and true. It is my heritage, and I am proud of it.

Patti Richardson is a school cook in the Northshore (Wash.) School District and a member of the United Classified Workers Union/AFT.

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