I’ve been waiting for this. I’m no prophet, but it had to be eating them
alive.
I haven’t heard
the phrase “God bless America” as much in the last ten years as in the past few
weeks. In word, sign, and song, it and our flag are reborn as icons of America,
both more visible now than at perhaps any time in our history.
The marquee at
Breen Elementary School in Rocklin, California is no exception. I’ve seen God
bless America on signs at many public schools since September 11, but the
American Civil Liberties Union picks its targets carefully. Rocklin, a small
town, must have seemed ripe for bullying.
With typical
subtlety, a letter to the Rocklin Unified School District from ACLU attorney
Margaret Crosby demanded “It must be replaced immediately,” branding the
blessing a “hurtful, divisive message.” I’m sure she means well. In these
times of trial and despair the nation has turned to the ACLU, ordinary folks
packing their offices in great numbers, seeking unity, comfort, and meaning.
Wait. That
would be churches, synagogues, temples, and mosques. My mistake.
Ms. Crosby has
an interesting way with words; I could make a career simply following her around
taking notes. In a 1998 column on prayer at high school graduations I wrote
“ACLU attorney Margaret Crosby told one paper that ‘Graduation is ... a
situation where every speaker is there by permission of the school, not the
cacophony of liberty.’ I would remind Ms. Crosby that public schools exist by
permission of society, not vice versa.”
The cacophony
of liberty is precisely what this nation is about. The ACLU long ago chose its
own agenda over all but the slightest pretense of principled advocacy,
tirelessly banging the gong of Constitutional separation of church and state.
In truth the Constitution says nothing of such separation, an illusion
maintained largely by the ACLU. It does, however, guarantee free exercise of
religion and freedom of speech, promises seen by some as unfortunate.
If the
cacophony of liberty has again become too much for the ACLU they might turn in
hope to Madison, Wisconsin. Just days after the letter to Breen Elementary
School made national news, the Madison Metropolitan School Board voted to ban
the Pledge of Allegiance and allow only instrumental versions of the national
anthem. Honest to goodness, this was their way of complying with a state law
requiring daily displays of patriotism in public schools.
The decision
came after a small number of parents complained about the “one nation, under
God” phrase of the pledge. I have no idea what the board’s objection to the
lyrics of The Star Spangled might be; perhaps it was thought that exposure to
words might be overly stressful.
Don’t scoff. The Madison
board’s president reports that some teachers believe reciting the pledge puts
too much pressure on students. Playing the tune of our national anthem, he
said, “is a compromise which I think satisfies most of the conditions that we
were trying to meet, namely that we observe the law but we don't coerce the
students one way or another.” Can’t have a school actually expecting anything.
Meanwhile back
in California, the trustees of the Rocklin Unified School District have
essentially told the ACLU to take a hike. A rally in support of the marquee
drew about 250, and the American Center for Law and Justice has offered legal
support.
I grew up in next-door
Loomis, where Rocklin-bashing was taken as a birthright and played like a
sport. In 1984 Rocklin was the boogeyman used to scare Loomis into
incorporating, ostensibly to keep from being swallowed whole.
Perhaps that
wouldn’t be so bad. While they’re at it, maybe they should annex Madison.
© 1997- 2002 Brent Morrison
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