From the Associated Press:
This is a great step forward in the re-establishment of the secular government which our Founding Fathers intended. Although the National Day of Prayer seems rather innocuous on the surface, the day itself was put in place by the same McCarthy era demagoguery which brought us the more egregious violations of the Establishment Clause such as "In God We Trust" as our national motto and "under God" surreptitiously slipped into the Pledge of Allegiance.
Any appeal of this decision must come from the White House, placing the ball squarely in President Obama's court. The President has already courageously recognized the role of non-believers in American culture and even met with 60 members of the Secular Coalition of America. Now the Obama administration will have to face pressure from religious groups to appeal the decision. The Alliance Defense Fund's senior legal counsel, Joel Oster, had this to say:
Bollocks. Do religious people really need the government to provide an "opportunity" to pray? Isn't that what, I don't know, RELIGIOUS leaders are for? The ADF goes on to say
Now is the perfect opportunity for President Obama to demonstrate that he is willing to do what is right for all Americans, not only the religious majority.
+1 <For America>
Associated Press said:MADISON, Wis. , A federal judge in Wisconsin ruled the National Day of Prayer unconstitutional Thursday, saying the day amounts to a call for religious action.
U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb wrote that the government can no more enact laws supporting a day of prayer than it can encourage citizens to fast during Ramadan, attend a synagogue or practice magic.
This is a great step forward in the re-establishment of the secular government which our Founding Fathers intended. Although the National Day of Prayer seems rather innocuous on the surface, the day itself was put in place by the same McCarthy era demagoguery which brought us the more egregious violations of the Establishment Clause such as "In God We Trust" as our national motto and "under God" surreptitiously slipped into the Pledge of Allegiance.
Any appeal of this decision must come from the White House, placing the ball squarely in President Obama's court. The President has already courageously recognized the role of non-believers in American culture and even met with 60 members of the Secular Coalition of America. Now the Obama administration will have to face pressure from religious groups to appeal the decision. The Alliance Defense Fund's senior legal counsel, Joel Oster, had this to say:
The court should not have struck down this statute. ADF urges the Obama administration to appeal this terrible ruling that not only undermines the National Day of Prayer, but the underlying heritage and tradition of the American people which dates back to the nation's founding.
The National Day of Prayer provides an opportunity for all Americans to pray voluntarily according to their own faith--and does not promote any particular religion or form of religious observance," Oster explained. "It does not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, and this decision should be appealed.
Bollocks. Do religious people really need the government to provide an "opportunity" to pray? Isn't that what, I don't know, RELIGIOUS leaders are for? The ADF goes on to say
ADF is now considering all possible legal options at its disposal while simultaneously urging the Obama administration to appeal Thursday's decision.
Now is the perfect opportunity for President Obama to demonstrate that he is willing to do what is right for all Americans, not only the religious majority.
+1 <For America>