‘God’ decision affirms court’s Christian views
‘Fathers Are Parents, Too,’ Attorney Says
The recent court ruling on allowing “under God” to remain in the Pledge of Allegiance has created quite a controversy over at least two issues:
1. Separation of Church and State
2. Non-custodial Parent Rights
Although I’m very glad that they ruled to leave “under God” in the Pledge, I am very disappointed in the reason they gave for their ruling. To me, this is just another example of the cowardice that fills the halls of our judicial system. They chickened out.
They should have ruled to let the Pledge stand the way it is because, whether athiests like it or not, Christianity and God ARE a part of the history of this country. This country and its freedoms were built by Christian men and women seeking a place to worship freely and this country was based on Christian principles. Not only that but a majority of the people in this country ARE Christian. And even those who are of other religions still worship a god of one kind or another, so the term “under God” would apply just fine to them as well. That phrase isn’t so much about religion as it is about history and tradition. God is part of this country’s history. Deal with it! Majority rules! Why should we change something that applies to 95% of the people because 5% of the people don’t like it?
As for the ruling that the father didn’t have the right to sue on behalf of his daughter because he is not the custodial parent, I believe it was a horrible ruling and will have devastating results for non-custodial parents all over the country. It’s basically telling parents, primarily fathers, since a majority of non-custodial parents are fathers, that if they don’t have custody, they don’t count. They have legal responsibilty to provide for their kids but no legal rights to make decisions about their lives. It’s just absolutely ridiculous. Children need BOTH parents and the input of BOTH parents is important to the healthy upbringing of the child, regardless of who has actual custody. The ONLY time a parent should be stripped of any decision-making rights is if the parent has been judged unfit or dangerous and removing those rights is crucial to the safety and well-being of the child. Period!
As a person who has watched both my brother and my father get shafted by the courts over issues concerning their children, I know first-hand how devastating it is for a parent to be treated like they don’t count for anything other than a convenient paycheck. This court ruling will only make a bad situation worse. This country MUST, for the sake of the children, acknowledge and protect the right of BOTH parents to be active in the lives and the upbringing of their children. If we don’t, having “God” in our Pledge of Allegiance will be the least of our worries.
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