Acton family: Remove 'under God' from Pledge of Allegiance

Acton family: Remove 'under God' from Pledge of Allegiance

Updated: Tuesday, 14 Feb 2012, 6:12 AM EST
Published : Monday, 13 Feb 2012, 10:07 AM EST

Acton family: Remove 'under God' from Pledge of Allegiance: MyFoxBOSTON.com

ACTON (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - A Middlesex Superior Court Judge is expected to issue a written decision on a controversial case involving the Pledge of Allegiance.

Judge Jane Heggarty heard arguments on Monday in the case of an Action family who has filed suit against the Acton-Boxborough School District to take the words “under God” out of the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Plaintiffs are named as Jane and John Doe out of concern for what they call “public hostility.” Their children are listed as ages 13, 11, and 9.

David Niose, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, describes the family as atheists and humanists. They say the children don’t have a problem reciting the pledge, just the phrase, “under God.”

Niose told FOX 25’s Sharman Sacchetti, “Every day these kids go to school and the pledge is recited declaring that the nation is in fact under God. That marginalizes them and suggests that people who don’t believe in God are less patriotic.”

The school district argues the pledge is entirely voluntary.

Attorney Geoffrey Bok argued, “The school system has to respect that at some point parents and children can in fact opt out of things they find for their own reason not appropriate and the school system respects that.”

Superintendent Stephen Mills says the district has spent $10,000 on the case so far, money he says he’d “rather spend on textbooks.” He hopes the judge dismisses the case.

“This business that they’re marginalizing students. They’re absolutely no recriminations; no negative consequences against a child that chooses not to say the pledge or in this particular case the words ‘under God.’”

Back in 1954, under then President Eisenhower, Congress added the words “under God” to the pledge in response to Communism and the Cold War. The Washington, D.C.- based Becket Fund for Religious Liberty argues not saying the words “under God” is discriminatory.

“What they’re asking for would silence other people,” said Attorney Eric Rassbach. “They’re not asking for the right to opt out. They have that right. They admit that they’re trying to get other people to shut up.”

Alan Smithee wrote:I don't really care one way or the other about this particular issue but it wasn't part of the original pledge to begin with.

Suzi wrote:I am old enough to remember when the "Under god " was inserted into the pledge and ruined the flow of the pledge. At the time I didn't understand why they felt the need to add to the pledge and now I don't care what they do to it.

Hyacinth Girl wrote: ...And better yet, since the kids are certainly old enough to decide for themselves whether or not to believe in God and whether His inclusion in the Pledge bothers them, then maybe they should be allowed to make up their own minds on this one, since belief in God is really a personal choice and personal journey, and shouldn't be someone else's view forced upon you, even if that view does belong to the parents.

Shale wrote:
Yeah, it is sort of contrived when the parents are waging the battle for school kids. When I complained about saying the pledge in HS, my parents weren't involved at all (They would likely have disagreed with me if they did know - Mom even said once "why can't you just be more popular?")

However, I disagree with all the religious ppl here who do believe in a god and therefore HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH RECITING SOMETHING YOU BELIEVE IN.

No, to this day I do not recite that stupid nationalism, mostly on the ground that we are not ONE NATION INDIVISIBLE because the fucking pledge itself divides us by saying under god. Oh, say everything except one section. Try that on a legal oath. In fact, whenever I serve jury duty, they have us recite an oath en-masse and I always make a point to sit it out and tell the bailiff (and once a judge) that I will not recite an oath that ends in "so help me god."

Do not try to push your fucking superstitions on me without expected protest.

Hyacinth Girl wrote:
And you're probably lucky you got a judge who didn't make a stink, right back to you about that and give you some legal action of your own--you never know what kind of power-trip they may be on, and decide to make an example of you for not complying with the rules of jury duty or something. ...