God Slammed by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals

Focus on the Family
Wednesday, 26 June 2002

Dr. James Dobson calls the decision striking down the Pledge of Allegiance "a shameless insult against America and all of her citizens"

In response to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision to extinguish the Pledge of Allegiance because of the words "under God," Dr. James C. Dobson, founder and president of Focus on the Family, released the following statement:

"This abominable ruling by an imperious court is a slap in the face to all Americans and people of faith. At a moment when national unity should be of the utmost importance, two individuals chose to speak for an entire nation and, in the process, divide this country. There is no place for myopic edicts, especially during this time of national and international uncertainty - clearly neither the events of September 11, nor America's war on terrorism, was weighing on the judge's minds.

"How easily we forget that on the evening of September 11, a bipartisan group of 150 members of the House and Senate, led by Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Democrat Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, gathered together on the Capitol steps and sang 'God Bless America.' While we stood frightened, grieved and resolute to fight the evil that struck our nation, we clung to our country's foundational principles and banded together for better or for worse.

"That this activist court saw fit to deny millions of school children the right to acknowledge God is unconscionable. It's time for citizens throughout the country to condemn the increasing tendency of the courts, legislatures and the media to secularize and demean our deeply held values. In one fell swoop, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has managed to make a mockery out of the judicial branch of government. And as an American, I am ashamed today.

"Finally, we note that some of the liberals in the U.S. Senate who condemned this ruling today (Daschle, Leahy, etc.) are the very individuals who are determined to block confirmation of numerous judicial nominees who are likely to bring a measure of sanity to the judiciary. What happened today in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals is what occurs day by day when ultra-liberal judges are placed on the federal bench where they can go about their social engineering without accountability to the people."

For more information, or to contact Focus on the Family, see their website at: www.family.org