More Ceremonial Deism
According to a federal judge, "In God we trust" can stay on our currency without violating the First Amendment because it amounts only to a secular national slogan.
So once again, ceremonial deism rears its ugly head. In other words, the phrase passes constitutional muster because it really doesn't mean what it says; the religious speech is only permissible when it's actually secular. Or something like that.
This is a sign of how wacky a lot of Supreme Court First Amendment precedent has become. Here's hoping the Roberts Court is going to get some of this mess tidied up.
Well, to me, the phrase means what it says. No doubt the same goes for those who first placed the phrase on the currency.
So once again, ceremonial deism rears its ugly head. In other words, the phrase passes constitutional muster because it really doesn't mean what it says; the religious speech is only permissible when it's actually secular. Or something like that.
This is a sign of how wacky a lot of Supreme Court First Amendment precedent has become. Here's hoping the Roberts Court is going to get some of this mess tidied up.
Well, to me, the phrase means what it says. No doubt the same goes for those who first placed the phrase on the currency.
posted by LadybugUSA at 7:01 PM
3 Comments:
Another gentle reminder: Please abide by the standards set forth here. Thanks.
Oh yes, ON TOPIC:
InnerChange Freedom Initiative has been determined by one judge to be unconstitutional. Not sure what part of the constitution this judge read but he must have forgotten the part about "...prohibiting the free exercise thereof." This is completely voluntary on the part of the prisoners and doesn't use tax payer money. Sad really.
The article at the link you provided says that 40% of their funding comes from the state.
Even so, I am not as bothered by this use of taxpayer money as I would be for faith-based charity for disaster victims who don't need a sermon to put their lives back together. (Providing the program can offer some metrics for improving recidivism rates among those who undergo the program and versus the general population. Also, participation in the program should not be a quick ticket out of prison.)
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