MaxedOutMama
Sunday, April 10, 2005
Half-Staff Hypocrites
Carl at No Oil For Pacifists notes the outrage from some quarters about Bush's proclamation that the American flag would be flown at half-staff to honor the Pope. As Carl points out, we flew the flag at half-staff to honor King Hussein of Jordan. We can certainly do so to honor the leader of the Vatican (which is an independent state).
And as for the First Amendment, it was not intended to ban religious freedom but to enshrine it (including the freedom not to believe). You are not going to get religious principles out of public life while people have them, nor are you going to be able to remove atheistic, secular or scientific principles from public life while people adhere to those principles.
Cornell's Legal Information Institute has my favorite presentation of the Constitution online. Here is the First Amendment:
We cannot institutionalize religion, we cannot ban it, we cannot say that it shall not spoken of, we cannot say that it may not be criticized, we cannot say that religion may not either be lauded or criticized in the press. We cannot ban people who are assembling to protest on religious grounds or on atheistic grounds.
Would those who are protesting against this recognition of a towering international figure (one who addressed the UN, btw), demand that Bush not speak to CAIR or any other Islamic organization in the United States? Demand that Clinton not meet with Billy Graham or the Reverend Jesse Jackson? Should Clinton not have taken Jesse Jackson with him on his trip to Africa? Should President Clinton not have started the day of his second inauguration in an AME church with Jesse Jackson as the primary speaker nor had Billy Graham praying at his second inauguration? Come off it, cupcakes.
Freedom is not a comfortable little cocoon. Freedom guarantees that each of us will see, read or hear some things in the public square that offend us - and freedom allows us to speak against that which offends us. Freedom is a really wonderful thing.
And as for the First Amendment, it was not intended to ban religious freedom but to enshrine it (including the freedom not to believe). You are not going to get religious principles out of public life while people have them, nor are you going to be able to remove atheistic, secular or scientific principles from public life while people adhere to those principles.
Cornell's Legal Information Institute has my favorite presentation of the Constitution online. Here is the First Amendment:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.In other words, don't infringe on people's consciences or people's expression of their consciences. Short, sweet and simple.
We cannot institutionalize religion, we cannot ban it, we cannot say that it shall not spoken of, we cannot say that it may not be criticized, we cannot say that religion may not either be lauded or criticized in the press. We cannot ban people who are assembling to protest on religious grounds or on atheistic grounds.
Would those who are protesting against this recognition of a towering international figure (one who addressed the UN, btw), demand that Bush not speak to CAIR or any other Islamic organization in the United States? Demand that Clinton not meet with Billy Graham or the Reverend Jesse Jackson? Should Clinton not have taken Jesse Jackson with him on his trip to Africa? Should President Clinton not have started the day of his second inauguration in an AME church with Jesse Jackson as the primary speaker nor had Billy Graham praying at his second inauguration? Come off it, cupcakes.
Freedom is not a comfortable little cocoon. Freedom guarantees that each of us will see, read or hear some things in the public square that offend us - and freedom allows us to speak against that which offends us. Freedom is a really wonderful thing.
Comments:
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Great post, MoM! I was recently in DC and took a picture with my cell phone of the Capitol, where the flag was at half-staff. Powerful stuff.
As someone how is very adamant about a clear distinction between church and state, I fully believe that flying the flag at half staff is perfectly acceptable. If not only for the passing of the head of a church, but also because he was the head of a state (the Vatican is a country). Yes, secularists can go to far.
Dingo,
Yes, but the churchy types can go too far as well! See this post about flagrant teaching of religion in a public school and a family that had to go to court to stop it. That's why we need the 1st Amendment. It's meant to defend the openness of the public space.
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Yes, but the churchy types can go too far as well! See this post about flagrant teaching of religion in a public school and a family that had to go to court to stop it. That's why we need the 1st Amendment. It's meant to defend the openness of the public space.
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