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Sunday, March 21, 2010

Editorial: Culture warriors: Give schools a break - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Editorial: Culture warriors: Give schools a break - Sacramento Opinion - Sacramento Editorial | Sacramento Bee

Editorial: Culture warriors: Give schools a break

Published: Sunday, Mar. 21, 2010 - 12:00 am | Page 6E

Sacramento area atheist Michael Newdow has said he will appeal the latest 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling rejecting his argument that the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance constitute an unconstitutional state endorsement of religion.

In this newest ruling, the 9th Circuit reversed its controversial 2002 decision that upheld Newdow's side of the case.

Reasonable people can disagree on whether the words "under God" inserted into the Pledge of Allegiance in 1954 violate the separation of church and state as required under the Constitution or are "merely an endorsement of our form of government, not of religion of any particular sect," as Justice Carlos Bea wrote in his majority ruling last week.

The Newdow suit follows a recent legal battle in San Diego County involving a math teacher who displayed patriotic banners in his classroom that



Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/03/21/2620558/culture-warriors-give-schools.html#ixzz0iohBK0Oe