Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The Pledge of Allegiance
The Pledge of Allegiance was first written in 1892 for a magazine contest, and it read: "I Pledge Allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands; one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." The Pledge became part of the U.S. Flag Code in 1942, and in 1954 President Eisenhower and Congress added the phrase "under God” into the Pledge.Proponents of including "under God” in the Pledge argue that the US is a Christian nation, at least 80% of Americans support the phrase, the language reflects America’s civic culture and is not a religious statement, and , state constitutions, currency, and the presidential oath already contain references to God.Opponents contend that church and state should be kept strictly separate as the Founding Fathers intended. They argue that the Constitution protects minority rights against majority will, and that the words "under God" in the Pledge are a religious phrase and thus violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
THE PEOPLE WHO SAY YES
From this day forward, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural school house, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty. To anyone who truly loves America, nothing could be more inspiring than to contemplate this rededication of our youth, on each school morning, to our country's true meaning.Especially is this meaningful as we regard today's world. Over the globe, mankind has been cruelly torn by violence and brutality and, by the millions, deadened in mind and soul by a materialistic philosophy of life. Man everywhere is appalled by the prospect of atomic war. In this somber setting, this law and its effects today have profound meaning. In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource, in peace or in war.
THE PEOPLE WHO SAY NO
The practice of reciting the Pledge in public schools specifically targets children, inculcating them with a monotheistic message not held by millions of Americans. This is not a passive reading of a historic document but an active swearing of a loyalty oath to one's country and, since 1954, an avowal that our nation exists 'under God,' which is tantamount to prayer.The First Amendment does not require hostility toward religion, but mandates government neutrality toward religion. By imposing a religious belief on those without such beliefs, the current version of the Pledge utterly fails this test.
Monday, November 29, 2010
The Liberties Of The Civil
Civil Liberties -Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that protect an individual from the state. Civil liberties set limits on government so that its members cannot abuse their power and interfere unduly with the lives of private citizens.
A story from a different place that talks about civil rights and how they feel on the topic. Feminist Activism and Women’s Rights Mobilization in the Chilean Círculo de Estudios de la Mujer: Beyond Maternalist MobilizationThis case study of women’s mobilization under authoritarian rule in Chile exposes some of the challenges in the history of women’s definition of a liberation language and of subsequent activist strategies for rights. It adopts a gendered lens to analyze the distinct contributions Chilean women have made in defense of human rights as they helped shape a new human rights practice in Chile. Examining a pioneering women’s organization under the Pinochet Dictatorship (1973-1989), the Círculo de Estudios de La Mujer (Women's Studies Circle), it shows how women redefined their responsibilities and rights when the regime prohibited previous patterns of political participation. Circulo activists built new foundations for a mobilization in favor of “mothers’ rights,” connected to traditional gender-based responsibilities and family life. They helped lay the foundation for new paradigms of women’s political participation and quest for citizenship rights when male breadwinners were absent or silenced by the military: they linked “mothers’ rights” to women’s rights and to women’s individual claims to civil liberties.
Our First Amendment protects our right to free exercise of religion, our freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, and limit the right to peaceably assemble, etc.I'd say it's the one of the main attractions of America and our free and democratic society.
Due-process- Due process is the principle that the government must respect all of the legal rights that are owed to a person according to the law. Due process holds the government subservient to the law of the land, protecting individual persons from the state.
A story from a different place that talks about civil rights and how they feel on the topic. Feminist Activism and Women’s Rights Mobilization in the Chilean Círculo de Estudios de la Mujer: Beyond Maternalist MobilizationThis case study of women’s mobilization under authoritarian rule in Chile exposes some of the challenges in the history of women’s definition of a liberation language and of subsequent activist strategies for rights. It adopts a gendered lens to analyze the distinct contributions Chilean women have made in defense of human rights as they helped shape a new human rights practice in Chile. Examining a pioneering women’s organization under the Pinochet Dictatorship (1973-1989), the Círculo de Estudios de La Mujer (Women's Studies Circle), it shows how women redefined their responsibilities and rights when the regime prohibited previous patterns of political participation. Circulo activists built new foundations for a mobilization in favor of “mothers’ rights,” connected to traditional gender-based responsibilities and family life. They helped lay the foundation for new paradigms of women’s political participation and quest for citizenship rights when male breadwinners were absent or silenced by the military: they linked “mothers’ rights” to women’s rights and to women’s individual claims to civil liberties.
Our First Amendment protects our right to free exercise of religion, our freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, and limit the right to peaceably assemble, etc.I'd say it's the one of the main attractions of America and our free and democratic society.
Due-process- Due process is the principle that the government must respect all of the legal rights that are owed to a person according to the law. Due process holds the government subservient to the law of the land, protecting individual persons from the state.
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