Renewing the American spirit

Earlier this week, nearly 1,000 citizens showed up for a Madison, Wisc., school board meeting because they wanted to let it be known they have had their fill of anti-American rulings. Seeing the unification of the people, school board members reversed an earlier decision by voting 6-to-1 to allow schools in the district to offer the Pledge of Allegiance.

In East Troy, Wisc., a “God Bless America” sign hanging in a school was deemed a violation of the so-called separation of church and state. School Board President Dave Strand then resigned, saying, “If my God had to be removed from the sign, then I will be removed as well from the board. My God, who is Jesus Christ, has been in my corner more often than I have been in His. This was one time when I wasn’t going to turn my back on Him.”

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that the sign went up at Prairie View Elementary School following the terrorist attacks that rocked – and ultimately united – our nation. After a few people complained that the sign invoked religion, the district decided to remove the sign after consulting with attorneys. In addition, the district received a letter from the Madison-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, saying the sign was inappropriate for a public school.

This action in Wisconsin is reflective of similar action across the nation as our fellow citizens attempt to rekindle the fires of patriotism in our country. While it is tragic that thousands of innocent people had to die in order to stoke these fires of patriotism, it is heartening to see this allegiant fervor resulting from our national tragedy. And in the process, our nation’s leftist educators and policy makers have been subsequently exposed.

Congressional approval

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 404-to-0 in support of Rep. Henry Brown’s, R-S.C., resolution that allows schools to post “God Bless America” signs. The non-binding resolution responds to several cases around the country where the American Civil Liberties Union and like-minded groups have objected to the display of “God Bless America” banners in schools, declaring that religion and patriotism should never be intermixed.

Rep. Brown recalled standing on the steps of the Capitol building on Sept. 11, joining other lawmakers – Republicans and Democrats – in singing “God Bless America.” “To threaten a public school for showing the same type of patriotism that we all showed on the Capitol steps,” he charged, “is the opposite of what this country is all about.”

Columnist Linda Bowles surmised the situation well: “What a monstrous irony that in this time of dire peril, as God hears prayers rising in a mighty chorus from across the nation, our children sit captive in government-school classrooms where prayer is forbidden, God is ostracized and religion is held in contempt.”

Rep. Brown mentioned a dispute in Rocklin, Calif., where the Northern California chapter of the ACLU – the organization that wants to completely secularize our nation – asked an elementary school to remove “God Bless America” banners and replace them with an apparently less offensive American flag. However, members of the Rocklin School District bravely refused to remove the “God Bless America” banners, citing a California Supreme Court decision that found it to be a traditional, patriotic phrase that did not violate the alleged constitutional separations of church and state.

In a letter to Breen Elementary School in Rocklin, the ACLU amazingly called the “God Bless America” signs “a hurtful, divisive message” that is in “violation” of the Constitution, and demanded the sign “be replaced immediately.” You can read the ACLU letter to the Rocklin District here.

I thank God that many people in America are courageously taking a stand for the Judeo-Christian principles of the nation. God has so richly blessed our nation, and I am pleased to see our friends and neighbors returning to the roots of our founding by boldly proclaiming their love of freedom and the American spirit.

How refreshing it is to see our citizens – especially young people – expressing their love of our great nation, specifically at this time of unrest and uncertainty. My heart soars whenever I hear “God Bless America” being sung at ball games and special events. It is high time that our nation humbly and reverently acknowledge the blessings of God on America – just as our founders did in the 18th century.

Some people are just now learning what many of us have known all along – the ACLU is completely out of touch with the America we know and love. I pray that this resurgence of godly pursuits will continue long after the horrible Sept. 11 attacks on our nation have faded in our memories.

God bless America, my home sweet home!