they should have added something to "excuse" those who, by reason of infirmity, cannot move their right hands over their hearts.
And isn't interesting that women have to take off their hats, too. That's pretty nontraditional.
House OKs Pledge Bill
Reuters
Tuesday, October 8, 2002; 1:57 PM
The House Tuesday approved a bill reaffirming the wording of the Pledge of Allegiance, making clear its disapproval of a recent court ruling that a reference to God in the pledge was unconstitutional.
By a vote of 401 to 5, the House also voted to reaffirm the national motto, "In God We Trust." But though the Senate has approved a similar bill, the measure must now return there for another vote because the House made a minor change.
A ruling in June by a federal appeals court in San Francisco that the "under God" portion of the pledge was unconstitutional prompted outrage among U.S. politicians, including President Bush, who called it ridiculous.
The court overturned a 1954 act of Congress that added "under God" to the pledge, saying the words violated the basic constitutional principle of separation of church and state.
Rep. James Sensenbrenner, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, called the ruling "troubling because its analysis appears to reflect a belief that any religious reference presents an inherent danger to individuals who hear it."
The Wisconsin Republican warned the result could be the banishment of all such references from the public arena, which he argued would be inconsistent with any reasonable interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.
But Rep. Robert Scott, a Virginia Democrat, said the House was wasting its time. The controversial ruling may be overturned on appeal, but if the ruling is upheld, "then no law we pass will change that," Scott said.
Justice Department attorneys are seeking a rehearing on the case before a full panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in California.
The House bill includes a provision that anyone reciting the pledge should remove headgear with the right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, with the hand resting over the heart.
But the House changed the wording slightly to say that only "nonreligious headgear" need be removed, so that for example a yarmulke, a skullcap worn by Jewish men and boys, could be worn during the pledge. The change must be approved by the Senate before the measure goes to Bush for his signature. |
