'Pledge atheist' sues Bush administration

Atheist activist Michael Newdow, known for his attempt to remove "under God" from the Pledge, has petitioned a federal court to prevent the Bush administration from "engaging in Christian religious acts" related to the president's upcoming inauguration.

Pointing out that two ministers, Rev. Franklin Graham and the Rev.Kirbyjon Caldwell, prayed at Bush's first inaugural ceremony in 2001, Newdow says the Inaugural '05 website indicates the president will chose a minister to "deliver an invocation" before he takes the oath of office Jan. 20.

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Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, chairman of the Traditional Values Coalition says it's "appalling that Christians are being singled out by Mr. Newdow for this sort of harassment."

"If any other religious group was being targeted for demotion to second-class citizenship, the ACLU and the liberal lobby would be shrieking," he said in a statement. "Today, they watch silently as a court considers taking another step towards barring the free and public exercise of religious beliefs."

Sheldon's group and other similar organizations are sponsoring a Christian Inaugural Eve Gala to celebrate the beginning of Bush's second term.

He said Newdow "should be ashamed for seeking this injunction against his fellow citizens. We, as Americans, need to awaken and deal with these threats to religious liberty, cynically disguised as 'civil liberties' defense."

"This is the day we have been warning America would come," he said.

Earlier this week, Newdow renewed his Pledge of Allegiance battle.

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his case because he did not have legal standing to represent his daughter, who is under sole custody of her mother.

Tuesday, however, Newdow filed a complaint in federal court in Sacramento, Calif., with eight new co-plaintiffs, seeking to remove "under God" from the Pledge on the grounds it violates the so-called "separation of church and state."

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