(AgapePress) - All eyes are on the U.S. Supreme Court in the wake of Friday's decision by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold a ban against reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools. And apparently thousands of Internet users across the country are putting action to their displeasure with that decision.

Unless Friday's ruling is stayed or postponed, millions of school students in the nine western states covered by that court will be forced to stop reciting the Pledge, effective next Monday. Those states are Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.

Attorney General John Ashcroft has indicated he plans to ask the high court to intervene, calling the voluntary recitation of the Pledge an act of patriotism.

Also in the mix now is the fact that the Ninth Circuit panel of three judges who made the original ruling last summer has now modified that slightly. Instead of declaring the Pledge itself unconstitutional -- because of the words "under God" -- the court now says it is the fact that teachers lead the students in reciting the Pledge that makes it illegal, equating it to organized prayers in school.

Reports indicate that if the Supreme Court does hear the case, it will likely uphold the legality of the Pledge. Several of the justices have commented in the past that they see the Pledge as promoting patriotism, not religion.

Petition Power
The lower court's rejection last week of the Bush Administration's request to reconsider the ruling has brought increased attention to an online petition supporting a Constitutional amendment to protect both the Pledge of Allegiance and the national motto: "In God We Trust."

The American Family Association (AFA), sponsor of WePledge.com, reports more than 75,000 people signed the petition in the 72-hour period following Friday's announcement. According to a press release from Don Wildmon, AFA founder and chairman, more than one million individuals have now signed. He says the overall goal is ten million.

© 2003 AgapePress all rights reserved.

E-mail this page to a friend

Printer-Friendly Version

Read all of our current headlines