“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.”— The Continental Congress, July 4, 1776
“The task of statesmanship has always been the re-definition of these rights in terms of a changing and growing social order.”
— Franklin D. Roosevelt (Commonwealth Club Address, 1932)
“Roosevelt was wrong! The principles laid down in the Declaration of Independence are the principles of individual liberty. Our unalienable rights, given to us by God are given to us as individuals. Our rights do not come from society or the government, and they cannot be redefined by politicians. The nature of these rights carries with it the implication of individual responsibility, without which we surrender them.”
— Perri Nelson, November 6, 2008
It's Flag Day!
Published Sat, Jun 14 2008 8:15 AM
Saturday, June 14, 2008 is Flag Day!
According to the United States Flag Code (U S Code Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 8 (j)) the United States Flag "represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing."
To anyone, anywhere that says that the flag of the United States is "divisive" or "offensive", I say "get a life" and "you offend me". I am proud to fly the flag of my country and believe it should be flown anywhere that Americans gather.
On another, related topic, the Pledge of Allegiance is a citizens pledge of loyalty and allegiance to the United States. To those of you, and there are many, who refuse to pledge allegiance to the flag, I have this to say, "You are unworthy, unpatriotic citizens and I am deeply offended by your disloyalty to your country."
If you, as an American citizen do not owe allegiance to your nation then you cannot claim to be a patriot. If you do not owe allegiance to your country, then you do not deserve her protection or the privileges granted by her to her citizens. God grants you your rights, but your nation protects them. God grants you your rights, but your nation grants you your privileges. Do not be ungrateful and refuse her your allegiance.
The following is excerpted from an earlier post, but it's still true today…
The flag is the symbol of our country, and when we pledge allegiance to the flag, we are pledging our allegiance to our country. The Pledge of Allegiance is defined in U S Code Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 4.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to The Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
The Exact language of the pledge is given above. This was re-affirmed by Congress in Public Law 107-293 section 2(b). Part of the findings of congress in that law are reproduced here (emphasis added):
On April 28, 1952, in the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in Zorach v. Clauson, 343 U.S. 306 (1952), in which school children were allowed to be excused from public schools for religious observances and education, Justice William O. Douglas, in writing for the Court stated: 'The First Amendment, however, does not say that in every and all respects there shall be a separation of Church and State. Rather, it studiously defines the manner, the specific ways, in which there shall be no concern or union or dependency one on the other. That is the common sense of the matter. Otherwise the State and religion would be aliens to each other - hostile, suspicious, and even unfriendly. Churches could not be required to pay even property taxes. Municipalities would not be permitted to render police or fire protection to religious groups. Policemen who helped parishioners into their places of worship would violate the Constitution. Prayers in our legislative halls; the appeals to the Almighty in the messages of the Chief Executive; the proclamations making Thanksgiving Day a holiday; "so help me God" in our courtroom oaths - these and all other references to the Almighty that run through our laws, our public rituals, our ceremonies would be flouting the First Amendment. A fastidious atheist or agnostic could even object to the supplication with which the Court opens each session: "God save the United States and this Honorable Court." '
Also...
On June 17, 1963, in the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in Abington School District v. Schempp, 374 U.S. 203 (1963), in which compulsory school prayer was held unconstitutional, Justices Goldberg and Harlan, concurring in the decision, stated: 'But untutored devotion to the concept of neutrality can lead to invocation or approval of results which partake not simply of that noninterference and noninvolvement with the religious which the Constitution commands, but of a brooding and pervasive devotion to the secular and a passive, or even active, hostility to the religious. Such results are not only not compelled by the Constitution, but, it seems to me, are prohibited by it. Neither government nor this Court can or should ignore the significance of the fact that a vast portion of our people believe in and worship God and that many of our legal, political, and personal values derive historically from religious teachings. Government must inevitably take cognizance of the existence of religion and, indeed, under certain circumstances the First Amendment may require that it do so.'
So, let the words of the Pledge of Allegiance stand.
Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0)
Blogs Against Nancy Pelosi
