Coffee With Pat
Written By: Pat Aman
copyright 2006
All rights reserved

Today is Memorial Day. Please say a prayer for all of our Military. Say a prayer for the families, whom have lost sons and daughters so that we might have freedom. To a soldier the flag is a special part of their uniform. They hold allegiance to the flag, as they carry it into battle. After you read or listen to the Pledge of Allegiance, please read the news notes below. Are we as Christians going to stand for this. It is now time for us to do for our county what a Military men and woman are dying for everyday. Fight for our freedom. Pledge of Allegiance by Red Skelton As a schoolboy, one of Red Skelton's teachers explained the words and meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance to his class. Skelton later wrote down, and eventually recorded, his recollection of this lecture. It is followed by an observation of his own. I Me, an individual, a committee of one. Pledge Dedicate all of my worldly good to give without self-pity. Allegiance My love and my devotion. To the Flag Our standard; Old Glory ; a symbol of Courage; and wherever she waves there is respect, because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts, Freedom is everybody's job. of the United That means that we have all come together. States Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states. Forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose. All divided by imaginary boundaries, yet united to a common cause, and that is love of country, of America.. And to the Republic A Republic - a sovereign state in which power is invested in the representatives chosen by the people to govern. And the government is the people; and it's from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people. For which it stands One Nation One Nation - meaning, so blessed by God. Indivisible Incapable of being divided. With Liberty Which is Freedom; the right of power for one to live his own life, without fears,threats , or any sort of retaliation. And Justice The principle, and qualities, of dealing fairly with others. For All For All - that means, boys and girls, it's as much your country as it is mine. Now, let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance: I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands; one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country, and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: Under God. Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said that that is a prayer, and that be eliminated from our schools, too? As Christians let stand right now and say the Pledge of Allegiance for all to hear. 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 following articles are from CNN News, Fox News, and The Associated Press The recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance has caused controversy that has reached the hallowed halls of the U.S. Supreme Court on several occasions, including the latest case that was dispatched by the justices in June 2004. Two major issues have arisen with respect to the recitation of the pledge in public schools: 1) whether students can be compelled to recite the pledge without infringing on their First Amendment rights and 2) whether the inclusion of the phrase “under God” — added in 1954 — violates the establishment clause. By The Associated Press 09.14.05 SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge declared the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools unconstitutional today in a case brought by the same atheist whose previous battle against the words “under God” was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court on procedural grounds. Richard Ellis, a Willamette University politics professor who wrote To the Flag: The Unlikely History of the Pledge of Allegiance, said the stakes were high. ”For some people, the pledge is a statement that the United States is a chosen nation, that the United States is a nation under God, that it is God’s chosen nation,” Ellis said. “For others,” he said, “it reflects their belief in God.” A federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is an unconstitutional "endorsement of religion" because of the addition of the phrase "under God" in 1954 by Congress. Outraged lawmakers on both sides of the aisle blasted the ruling as "outrageous," "nuts," and "stupid." The U.S. Senate was so outraged by the decision that it passed a resolution 99-0 "expressing support for the Pledge of Allegiance" and asking Senate counsel to "seek to intervene in the case Sen. Kit Bond, R-Missouri, was one of many lawmakers who immediately reacted in anger and shock to the ruling. "Our Founding Fathers must be spinning in their graves. This is the worst kind of political correctness run amok," Bond said. "What's next? Will the courts now strip 'so help me God' from the pledge taken by new presidents?" At one point late Wednesday about 100-150 House members, mostly Republicans, gathered on the steps outside the Capitol and recited the Pledge of Allegiance in a show of support White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said President Bush believes the ruling is "ridiculous." "The view of the White House is that this was a wrong decision, and the Department of Justice is now evaluating how to seek redress," Fleischer said. "I think this decision will not sit well with the American people. Certainly, it does not sit well with the president of the United States."

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