Word: newdow
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Thank God for Michael Newdow. If this plucky atheist hadn't stood up for what he believes in, we might still be talking about things that have lasting impact, like the financial meltdown of WorldCom. We might be rehashing news of terrorist threats, or babbling about homeland security, or remembering that there's a World Cup going on. So for cleverly distracting us from these unpleasant topics, Newdow is our person of the week...
...should all thank Newdow for giving us a reason to hope that one day, in the not-too-distant future, we will return to the America of September 10, 2001. To return to those days when we had nothing better to do than bicker over really critical issues like which politician is the most patriotic, or who has the biggest flag on the block. Thanks to Newdow's lawsuit charging the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional (due to that "under God" phrase), we've become reacquainted with that comforting place where flag-waving carries no sorrowful undertones, only simple pride...
...Newdow, a physician with a law degree, a five-year-old daughter and an axe to grind with monotheistic religion, decided he wasn't happy about students at his daughter's school standing to say the Pledge each morning. So he took the Sacramento school district to court, charging the Pledge violated the establishment clause of the U.S. Constitution, which dictates a strict separation between church and state...
...Wednesday, California's 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 in Newdow's favor, declaring that the Constitution guarantees people in public places protection from state-sponsored religious declarations. Judge Alfred Goodwin, a Nixon appointee, wrote the decision - a fact congressional Democrats were delighted to share with anyone who'd listen. By Thursday afternoon, less than 24 hours later after the initial decision was issued, the same Court placed a hold on the ruling, effectively rendering it moot for the time being. Not to be outdone, the Justice Department demanded a full hearing on the issue...