“…on February 10, 1954, Senator Homer Ferguson of Michigan introduced a bill in the United States Congress to amend the Pledge of Allegiance by adding the words, “under God,” to the text of the pledge…”

Eagle Forum Alaska

Monday, July 31, 2006

2006 Gubernatorial Candidate Questionnaire [link broken]

…11. Are you offended by the phrase “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance? Why or why not?

…SP [Sarah Palin]: Not on your life. If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its good enough for me and I’ll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance…

[emphasis added]

Who would have known that Homer Ferguson was a founding father?

A concurrent resolution, introduced by Representative Mike Kelley (r):

FIRST REGULAR SESSION

House Concurrent Resolution No. 17 [pdf]

98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE KELLEY.

0883L.01I

WHEREAS, on February 10, 1954, Senator Homer Ferguson of Michigan introduced a bill in the United States Congress to amend the Pledge of Allegiance by adding the words, “under God,” to the text of the pledge; and

WHEREAS, February 10, 1954, was chosen as the date to introduce the bill by Senator Ferguson because it was the five-year anniversary of the imprisonment of Cardinal Joseph Mindszenty of Hungary, who was imprisoned and tortured by Communists for his sermons exposing the goal of Communism to eradicate all religion; and

WHEREAS, speeches were delivered in Congress by members of both political parties, honoring Cardinal Mindszenty and emphasizing the threat posed to America by Communism; and

WHEREAS, upon introduction of the bill, Senator Ferguson commented, “I believe this modification of the pledge is important because it highlights one of the real fundamental differences between the free world and the Communist world, namely, belief in God,” furthering that with, “Our nation is founded on a fundamental belief in God, and the first and most important reason for the existence of our Government is to protect the God-given rights of our citizens. Spiritual values are every bit as important to the defense and safety of our nation as are military and economic values.”; and

WHEREAS, the vote to add “under God” to the United States Pledge of Allegiance was a unanimous vote; and

WHEREAS, on February 7, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower became convinced that adding the words, “under God,” to the United States Pledge of Allegiance would be the right thing to do after hearing Reverend George Docherty preach that the phrase, “nation under God” was first used in the Gettysburg Address and were appropriate to be added to the United States Pledge of Allegiance because freedom “is defined by a fundamental belief in God”; and

WHEREAS, the first time the United States Pledge of Allegiance was recited was on Flag Day, June 14, 1954; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the Missouri General Assembly to recognize and honor such an important date which strengthens the ties of history that bind us to our Christian heritage:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-eighth General Assembly, First Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby recognize February 10, 1954, as the anniversary of the addition of the words, “under God,” to the United States Pledge of Allegiance.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare a properly inscribed copy of this resolution for members of the Missouri Capitol Press Corps.

[emphasis in original]

“…the vote to add “under God” to the United States Pledge of Allegiance was a unanimous vote…”

United States Constitution

Article VI

…but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.

“…President Dwight D. Eisenhower became convinced that adding the words, “under God,” to the United States Pledge of Allegiance would be the right thing to do after hearing Reverend George Docherty preach…”

And the point is?

“…it is the policy of the Missouri General Assembly to recognize and honor such an important date which strengthens the ties of history that bind us to our Christian heritage…”

Really?

WEST VIRGINIA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION ET AL. v. BARNETTE ET AL., 319 U.S. 624 (1943)

….If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein. If there are any circumstances which permit an exception, they do not now occur to us….

“…that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare a properly inscribed copy of this resolution for members of the Missouri Capitol Press Corps…”

What on earth for?

Meanwhile, thousands of Missouri citizens do not have access to adequate health care.

Previously:

Those who ignore history are, well….stupid (October 25,2007)

Oi vay, part 2 (September 1, 2008)

On improving practical utility (February 17, 2015)

Previously:

White House: petitions – We the People (September 22, 2011)

Those who ignore history are, well….stupid (October 25, 2007)

The White House started an online petition process on September 22nd, with an initial staff review threshold of five thousand signatures for petitions submitted through the process. Several petitions have quickly reached that threshold, including one to legalize marijuana, one to abolish the TSA, and, as of this writing in third place (with over 9,000 signatures), one to remove “Under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance:

We Petition the Obama Administration to:

Edit the Pledge of Allegiance to remove the phrase “Under God”.

The Pledge of Allegiance is said every day in schools across America. It is a government sanctioned speech, and should remain neutral in matters of religion. In its current state, it supports the existence of God, which goes against several religions, and supports others. This bias should not be supported by the country according to the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Created: Sep 22, 2011

Issues: Civil Rights and Liberties, Human Rights

In 1943, as described in WEST VIRGINIA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION ET AL. v. BARNETTE ET AL., 319 U.S. 624, the text was:

…’I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of [319 U.S. 624, 629]  America and to the Republic for which it stands; one Nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.’…

Note what is missing.

The pledge is not a founding document:

The Pledge of Allegiance was written in August 1892 by the socialist minister Francis Bellamy (1855-1931). It was originally published in The Youth’s Companion on September 8, 1892. Bellamy had hoped that the pledge would be used by citizens in any country…

In 1954:

History of the Pledge of Allegiance:

….the Knights of Columbus mounted a campaign to add the words “under God” to the Pledge. The nation was suffering through the height of the cold war, and the McCarthy communist witch hunt. Partly in reaction to these factors, a reported 15 resolutions were initiated in Congress to change the pledge. They got nowhere until Rev. George Docherty (1911 – 2008) preached a sermon that was attended by President Eisenhower and the national press corps on 1954-FEB-7….

And, back to WEST VIRGINIA STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION ET AL. v. BARNETTE ET AL., 319 U.S. 624, no individual is under any compulsion to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in whole or in part:

….A person gets from a [319 U.S. 624, 633]  symbol the meaning he puts into it, and what is one man’s comfort and inspiration is another’s jest and scorn….

….Struggles to coerce uniformity of sentiment in support of some end thought essential to their time and country have been waged by many good as well as by evil men. Nationalism is a relatively recent phenomenon but at other times and places the ends have been racial or territorial security, support of a dynasty or regime, and particular plans for saving souls. As first and moderate methods to attain unity have failed, those bent on its accomplishment must resort to an ever-increasing severity….

….Those who begin coercive elimination of dissent soon find themselves exterminating dissenters. Compulsory unification of opinion achieves only the unanimity of the graveyard….

….If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein. If there are any circumstances which permit an exception, they do not now occur to us….

[emphasis added]

In a time of war, no less. In 1943.