Monday, September 9, 2013

Under God? | Commentary by Joe Messina

mug_joemessinaIn the continuing saga of the attack on religion, the lefties are at it again. You know, that same group who tried to remove God from their platform … and failed. Remember them? Well, they just won’t go away, like a bad rash in the summer heat.


My home state of Massachusetts has decided once again to waste mega-taxpayer bucks fighting the words, “Under God,” in our Pledge of Allegiance. So what’s the big whoop?


To my Christian friends, do you really believe the phrase, “one nation under God,” actually means anything? We’re a nation that sanctions killing babies in the womb. If we were truly “under God,” we would protect the unborn. We’re a nation that sanctions same-sex marriage (marriage is a religious institution) when God’s word is very clearly against it.


And here’s my prediction – you heard it here first: Next will be legalization of polygamy, then lowering the age of consent, and then who knows what will come next?


We’ve become a nation that pushes its citizens to trust in the government and not God. My Bible says  God is my sufficiency, not almighty America or almighty “insert government name here.”


The words “under God” in our pledge mean nothing more today than telling your wife you love her as you beat and abuse her. They are just lies and empty words.


My Christian friends, I’m challenging you to come out of the closet and stand up with God. He stood up for you.


The Massachusetts Supreme Court will be ruling on Doe v. Action-Boxborough Regional School District and whether the pledge violates students’ rights. The battle over the pledge has been lost several times around the country in many federal courts. The new angle this time is “students’ rights.” Previously, they have used the non-existent separation-of-church-and-state law. This time they are using the infringement of student rights. (I could do a book on the infringement on conservative students’ rights.)


Interestingly, any time a conservative group mentions revisiting the issue of Roe v. Wade, we are told by the left, “It’s a done deal, set down in law, you can’t bring it back.” Shouldn’t you lefties have to take your own medicine?


Michael Newdow

Michael Newdow


Remember that guy who thought he was speaking for all Americans, Michael Newdow, when he said the words “under God” need to be removed from the pledge?


Our very own United States Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance in January  2011. The decision ended a seven-year battle over the pledge’s inclusion of the words “under God,” referring to two separate cases, one originating in California and the other in New Hampshire. Both cases were brought by Mr. Newdow. Too bad he didn’t have to pay for them.


The Supreme Court rejected the argument that “saying the pledge of your own free will creates an official state religion.” I guess the left doesn’t understand the meaning of “free will.” Because they work so hard at taking it away, they must perceive it as a bad thing.


There are many children who don’t stand during the pledge. Kids whose religions don’t allow them to pledge to anyone but God also don’t get involved. If they would actually go out on campus and interview the kids they would find there is virtually no problem. The stigma of not saying the pledge doesn’t exist anymore. In all actuality, you’re kind of considered goofy if you actually do it. If these people would get out of their offices and actually do some research, they would see this is a non-issue.


The very liberal lefty loons known as the Ninth Circuit in California, who have on more than one occasion reversed themselves, upheld the constitutionality of the pledge in March 2010, and the Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal of the California case in March 2011.  The First Circuit then upheld the constitutionality of the pledge in November 2011, and the Supreme Court refused to listen to that case, as well. Does anyone else think they are sending a message?


Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson of the Knights of Columbus pointed out that his organization was “instrumental” in getting the words “under God” added to the pledge in 1954.


Those words “express a fundamental belief that we have held as a nation since our founding, that we ‘are endowed by our creator with certain unalienable rights,’” he said. “The notion that this somehow violates the First Amendment has now been soundly rejected by both the First and Ninth Circuit Courts of Appeal, and the Supreme Court has now allowed both decisions to stand.” What else do you people need?


You blast conservatives for fighting for the right of the unborn using science, not God or the great Universal Spirit, but science – letting us know that abortion on demand has been settled in the Court.


Well, guess what? “Under God” has been settled in the court, many times. Get over yourselves.


Christians and conservatives, stop with the lip service and do something.


 


Joe Messina is host of The Real Side (TheRealSide.com), a nationally syndicated talk show that runs on AM-1220 KHTS radio and SCVTV [here]. He is also an elected member of the Hart School Board. His commentary normally publishes Mondays.



Under God? | Commentary by Joe Messina