Pledge decision ignores freedom

The plaintiff appearing before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court claims that his daughter was “irreparably harmed and damaged” by the continual use of “God.” Um …what? This is a free country and liberty means if you want to attend church, you may; if you don’t like church, you don’t have to go.

Similarly, if you disagree with opinions expressed in the media, you can change the channel, turn the dial, etc. It follows that if you don’t want to recite something you don’t believe in, don’t recite it.

In my personal life, liberty means that when I see the atheists’ booth at the Sessums Mall on Wednesdays proclaiming such foolishness as, “God is dead,” I don’t have to picket their tent. I just pray for them because I know they have not had the experience with God as I have, and possibly nothing I say will change their minds anyway.

Ninety percent of Americans are churchgoers and/or Christians. Of the remainder, only 25,000 are atheists. These judges have no convictions of their own but are easily influenced and blown about by a wind and a whisper.

Just another case of atheists trying to shove their lack of religion down our throats.

Please, leave us alone with these frivolous lawsuits. If you want to do something to change the world, mentor a disadvantaged youth or volunteer at local shelters.

Remember, the founders of this country were Christians who came to escape religious and political persecution forced on them because they wanted to worship their God without fear of imprisonment or martyrdom.

So don’t tell me this nation was not founded on Judeo-Christian principles because then it’s obvious you don’t know your history. If the president can proclaim his belief in God in public, why can’t I?

Keto Hodges is a senior majoring in management information systems.

Short-term goals unrealistic

It is sad to see where the world is heading, especially in the Middle East. It is funny to watch politicians who come into power for four or possibly eight years, thinking that they can resolve an issue that has been going on for generations. In fact, many Americans today do not know how the nation of Israel was formed, why it was formed, when it was formed or even why the Jewish demographic believes it should be theirs.

What is even worse is that we have politicians who don’t either. The main problem with that is you have men who don’t fully understand the issues they are trying to rectify it.

Since it is not P.C. for Americans to read the Bible, I guess many Americans will never know that God gave Moses and his people the promised land of Israel after they left Egypt and walked through the desert for 40 years.

The area, which is now called Israel, became a religious site for numerous religions throughout history, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam which are now considered the most populous.

Today, there are two factions, both of different ethnicities and religious beliefs, thinking that they are the rightful owners of Palestine/Israel. Both nations are going to extreme measures to regain or to keep the land.

It is extremely sad to see the negative efforts these two demographics are using in order to maintain their land. It is sad to see that both sides are in conflict under the name of God. The reason that Palestine/Israel is so important to both sides is because of religion.

I believe that God would not have wanted either side to be fighting in his name. It is funny to me because the Old Testament and the Koran are similar. So in a fantasy world they could live in peace with each other. But in real life they can’t; the main reason is because of human greed.

It is almost like watching two kids playing: both kids are playing with toys and one of the kids wanted the other kid’s toy, not because the kid needs it, but because he does not have it. The same can be said about Sharon and Arafat. Both men are killers in their own right.

Sharon is sending in troops to Palestinian towns and putting the Palestinian residents under house arrest. It is almost like the World War II, but this time the Jews are the persecutors. It is sad because it’s a hypocrisy because the Jewish population has been exiled from many nations in the past 2,000 years and now they are doing it themselves.

Sharon is also trying to take away the Palestinians’ land by making settlements in the strip or the outer bank. God gave Moses the promised land so the people could live in peace and not slaves or as lesser people. If Moses were here today, he would not be in favor of how the Jews are treating the Palestinians.

Arafat is a killer because he is not attempting to rectify the issues. He has not gone out and condemned the terrorist groups who are causing all of the problems in the land by denouncing the suicide bombers.

It is pointless for there to be any outside interference by the Americans, NATO or the United Nations. Sharon doesn’t want the U.N. peacekeepers in because it would see how bad they are truly treating the Palestinians.

President Bush has a lot on his plate with both nations. My opinion is to leave that problem alone; we should not get involved, and in fact we are too involved.

Israel is a sore subject with the Arab nations in the world. It is no secret that the Arabs hate the Jews and vice versa because of this issue, but after Sept. 11 it is obvious that our involvement over there has made the Arabs hate us as well.

The Arab nations believe that America has overstepped its bounds and that it should keep out of other people’s business. I believe that to be true and that we should stay out of their business until someone asks for help.

Do I believe what the Arab terrorists did was okay? My answer would be absolutely no. But the same would be asked of what the Jews have done, and my answer again would be no.

But it all comes back to politics. Bush must get involved because of the lobbyists. The Jewish lobby is very strong in America, and it is obvious that they have a lot of control over the White House administrations of the past.

Presidents stay in power not by the popular vote but by the Electoral College and lobbyists. So they keep as many of them as happy as possible. If not it would be political suicide.

Bush’s administration is now asking Arafat to step down but in reality I believe that both Sharon and Arafat should be taken out of their positions. Then both nations should try to form a realistic government where the two ethnicities could live together.

But in the real world this conflict will continue for generations until one side has obliterated the other or the end of the world has occurred.

Israel, in my opinion, deserves to be the land of the free more than America does. Jerusalem has so much significance to everyone that everyone should be able to enjoy it. I believe that anyone who wants to settle in that part of the world should. I am inclined to say that the area should be governed by a world government where anyone could live and enjoy it.

Stephen Hanily is a senior majoring in chemistry.

Vouchers the only answer for schools

Once again, surprise, surprise, the Oracle editorial board is wrong. We need to get some conservatives on this board. Vouchers are essential to the public school system. Vouchers provide capitalism for the school system. Public schools have no reason to improve because they are a monopoly.

Yes, there are private schools, but they do no good for low-income families who cannot afford them. And, it is usually the low-income families who have to send their children to failing schools. The teacher unions are against vouchers because vouchers take control away from them. The Supreme Court, at least five of them, understand the importance of a good education, and the importance of children having access to a good education. I’m sorry others do not. And when it comes to religion, give me a break. Most private schools are religious. So what?

Liberals have to get over themselves about the separation of church and state, which is not in the Constitution. Nonetheless, the Supreme Court ruled the separation does not come into play because it’s up to the parents to decide where to send their children, not the state.

Robert S. Herron is a sophomore majoring in business.