I wonder how much Texas would fetch on the open market. Say, if we tried to sell it back to Mexico or something. Maybe we could bundle it with Florida to offer a package deal. We could even throw in Kansas for a three-fer.

Stupid, all around. God is omnipresent, so isn't it a tad presumptuous to assume exactly where he is in relation to your state or country?

Normally, I won't countenance any criticism of The Great State of Texas (because none of it is warranted, and you're all just jealous), but there's really no excuse for this level of pandering jackassery. I feel something akin to shame (being shameless as all Texans are, it's the closest I can get to actual shame).

That'll keep the Godless Commies and Libs in their place, Yee Hawwwww !!!!

Unless they're specifying which God, it isn't a question of separation of church and state.

Church and state. Not faith and state.

Not that this is less stupid for that.

So God is oklahoma?

Ya'll have a STATE pledge?

Is this to separate you from the godless New Mexicans?

// The new phrase makes it a bit repetitive

The pledge of allegiance to the Texas state flag is
"Honor the Texas flag; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one state under God, one and indivisible."

According to The Handbook of Texas Online, "In 1933 the legislature passed a law establishing rules for the proper display of the flag and providing for a pledge to the flag: "Honor the Texas Flag of 1836; I pledge allegiance to thee, Texas, one and indivisible." The pledge erroneously referred to the 1836 national flag, known as David G. Burnet's flag, instead of the Lone Star Flag. Senator Searcy Bracewell introduced a bill to correct this error in 1951, but the legislature did not delete the words "of 1836" until 1965."

When will the fundies learn? It's not what you say, it's what you DO.

You can scream "I'm a Christian" all you want, but that doesn't make it true. Same thing goes for putting "God" in your motto, pledge, money, etc. It won't make this a Christian nation.

NuclearWinter: You can scream "I'm a Christian" all you want, but that doesn't make it true. Same thing goes for putting "God" in your motto, pledge, money, etc. It won't make this a Christian nation.

Oh, come on. If it works for patriotism, it should work for faith, too.

Imagine if there was a faith based on one's actions instead of just words.

That would be cool.

Pocket Ninja: Oh, come on. If it works for patriotism, it should work for faith, too.

I've got more American flag magnets on my car than you do, you commie.

Mordant: Imagine if there was a faith based on one's actions instead of just words.

That would be cool.

That used to be Christianity. "Good works" and all that.

They ended up with the Crusades and the Inquisition. It really doesn't work out that well.

Uh, "State Pledge?" What, are they still planning to form another republic?

Just remember, kids, if you repeat a lie enough times, it becomes true.

Pocket Ninja

I'm pretty sure that Texas is the only state in the Union that can legally secede. By corrolary, we should also be able to kick them out.

After LBJ and GWB, they at least should be barred from sending any more of their residents to the White House.

See! This is the bullsh*t that makes good people hate religion. There's a reason that many Christians, Jews, and others are turning away from their religion and embracing forms of non-theism or non-traditional religions, and this is it. Dawkins, Hitchens, and those like them are becoming more popular based on the stupid, coercive, unconstitutional, and regressive actions of the religious people.

If you can't respect that this is a secular nation, then get the f*ck out and go to a country that celebrates their own theocracy, like Iran or Saudi Arabia.

Last year, the greatest number of people moving to Washington State came not from California, but for the first time, from Texas.

Expats are fleeing the oppressive regime, or maybe just our job market's better.

Either way, we welcome expat Texans, provided you check your stupid at the border. You can keep your guns, in fact, Washington State (outside Seattle) is quite gun-owner friendly.

That "Don't mess with Texas" bumper sticker looks kind of dumb next to your new Mt. Rainier license plate, though.

Jesus CHRIST, the amount of stupid in this state boggles my mind.

"Personally, I felt like the Texas pledge had a big old hole in it, and it occurred to me, 'You know what? We need to fix that,' " said Riddle, R-Tomball.

Wull, shucky-darn poo-HECK, Cletus, we dun got us a probl'm!!!

Only Texas Republicans could make this total non-issue an issue.

Which 'God' are they talking about? They should be more specific:

One state, under Shiva?
One state, under Horus?
One state, under Thor?
One state, under Zeus?
One state, under Yahweh?

This is the beauty of Federalism. If people don't want to live in this goofy state they can move to another. The state-system exists so these nuts can group together and live in harmony, and godless heathens are free to do the same. I think it only becomes a problem when its nationally imposed.

/still thinks its unnecessary

I think it's time to have a talk with my son about the duty of civil disobedience concerning this issue.

Mighty_Dog: This thread is pure liberal hate.

Okay, I'm now convinced you're nothing more than a performance artist like Ann Coulter, simply trying to get a reaction.

But, Andy Kaufman you ain't.

Mighty_Dog: This thread is pure liberal hate.

No, Mighty_dog (formerly HellBentForLeather) its witty irony and bemused comment.

Stuff you wouldn't understand.

Now get back in your cage.

Sleeping Monkey: I think it only becomes a problem when its nationally imposed.

Or when people realize that an entire state of loonies gets some significant say in who gets to become president, as well as two senators and a handful of house representatives.

Anybody else get the feeling that portions of this country are moving backwards in time?

I know that they don't mean the Christian God because Jesus *specifically* said in the Bible NOT to swear an oath to anyone or anything, God especially or use God's name improperly, which this would seem to do.

Generation_D: formerly HellBentForLeather

That explains a lot.

So this brings Texas up to the 1950s, right?

vernonFL: I know that they don't mean the Christian God because Jesus *specifically* said in the Bible NOT to swear an oath to anyone or anything, God especially or use God's name improperly, which this would seem to do.

Not to mention the clear separation of Church and State in the Bible itself.

Y'know, that whole "render unto Caeser" bit.


One state, under Thor?
One state, under Yahweh?

One wields a mighty hammer.
The other was nailed to a wooden cross.

Coincidence?

Sleeping Monkey: This is the beauty of Federalism. If people don't want to live in this goofy state they can move to another. The state-system exists so these nuts can group together and live in harmony, and godless heathens are free to do the same. I think it only becomes a problem when its nationally imposed.

/still thinks its unnecessary

You're forgetting that those affected by this are schoolchildren, and the state law says that they are REQUIRED to say both pledges in addition to a moment of silence. Don't know about you but I couldn't just up and move to another state when I was in school.

vernonFL:
Which 'God' are they talking about? They should be more specific:

One state, under Shiva?
One state, under Horus?
One state, under Thor?
One state, under Zeus?
One state, under Yahweh?

One state, under Cthulhu?
One state, under Amaterasu?
One state, under Allah?
One state, under the Flying Spaghetti Monster?
One state, under Joe Pesci?

This is the beauty of Federalism. If people don't want to live in this goofy state they can move to another.

Federalism only goes so far. What if the 'goofy state' wants to segregate whites from blacks?

King Something: One state, under Cthulhu?

Well, they ARE insane...

NuclearWinter: Pocket Ninja: Oh, come on. If it works for patriotism, it should work for faith, too.

I've got more American flag magnets on my car than you do, you commie.

Honestly, the "under God" part of the Pledge of Allegiance doesn't upset me as much as our trying to force children to swear an oath to our government. That whole bit about "and to the Republic for which it stands" is not only highly inaccurate now (since we've long since dispensed with small-r republicanism) but it's really pushing the limits of the First Amendment.

Voluntary pledging is okay, I guess. When I was in middle school, I always tried to use something straight out of Calvin and Hobbes. I pissed a teacher off so bad by saying, "I led the pigeons; to the snot rag; and it's mighty state of hysteria..."

Don't look up! God wears robes.

filth: I feel something akin to shame (being shameless as all Texans are, it's the closest I can get to actual shame).

Dude, I'm five hours outside your western border and I feel plenty of shame for ya'.

UNC_Samurai: Voluntary pledging is okay, I guess. When I was in middle school, I always tried to use something straight out of Calvin and Hobbes. I pissed a teacher off so bad by saying, "I led the pigeons; to the snot rag; and it's mighty state of hysteria..."

I just stayed seated through the entire thing. Kept being threatened by my pre-calc teacher that she was going to write me up, fail me, etc.

I think it should just be a moment before class of everyone doing what they want. Religious folk can say a prayer to themselves, jingoists can pledge to a flag, and those of us who didn't do the homework the night before can work towards getting partial credit.

UNC_Samurai: I always tried to use something straight out of Calvin and Hobbes

"I pledge allegiance to Queen Frag, and her mighty state of hysteria"

Mighty_Dog



You have just joined the great pantheon of Farkin' assholes.

NuclearWinter: You're forgetting that those affected by this are schoolchildren, and the state law says that they are REQUIRED to say both pledges in addition to a moment of silence. Don't know about you but I couldn't just up and move to another state when I was in school.

I'm not saying that it wouldn't suck or that it wouldn't be difficult, but those kids' parents are free to begin taking the necessary steps to get their kids out of that environment.

vernonFL: Federalism only goes so far. What if the 'goofy state' wants to segregate whites from blacks?

True enough, and thats the purpose of federal law - to protect basic freedoms laid out in the Constitution. States are only free to make laws that conform to those guidelines. The difficulty comes when trying to define those basic freedoms, which is what the court system is for. But hey, no one ever said maintaining a free society was going to be easy.

Buddha is amused.

/always

NuclearWinter: I just stayed seated through the entire thing. Kept being threatened by my pre-calc teacher that she was going to write me up, fail me, etc.

I sort of did the opposite. I would say the pledge, a little louder than I usually talk, but omit the "under God" part.

One nation, indivisible.

No one gave me any guff about it.

Sleeping Monkey: I'm not saying that it wouldn't suck or that it wouldn't be difficult, but those kids' parents are free to begin taking the necessary steps to get their kids out of that environment.

Under the assumption that the parents support their child's beliefs.

For the first 4 or 5 years after I declared myself an atheist, my mom would just look at me and say "no, you're not." It was so f*cking infuriating. And she was the tolerant parent who grew up a free-love hippie.

Aren't they just bringing the state pledge in line with the national pledge? Or did we dispense with the "under God" part of the national pledge when I wasn't looking? Didn't congress actually pass legislation protecting the "under God" phrase?

As someone who went to school in Texas I do not recall EVER saying a state pledge of allegiance anyways. Maybe I was in some renegade school district, you know, like Dallas or something...

On top of that, anybody who objects to it doesn't have to do it. That takes a good amount of the teeth out of that tiger. To me it smells like people looking for something to be offended by.

KyngNothing:
So God is oklahoma?

Ya'll have a STATE pledge?

Is this to separate you from the godless New Mexicans?

This country has new Mexicans?

Also, where's your crown?

Sleeping Monkey: I'm not saying that it wouldn't suck or that it wouldn't be difficult, but those kids' parents are free to begin taking the necessary steps to get their kids out of that environment.

Thought you might say that. The only problem with that logic is that some kids don't follow the same beliefs as their parents. I'm a perfect case of that. I'm atheist, but my parents are Christian. Of course, then you get into the realm of whether or not a minor can make decisions about his/her schooling and the influence of the government on their school environment.

TiltedKilt: You have just joined the great pantheon of Farkin' assholes.

He's just a broken record, and amusing at least in my eyes. You can just imagine him, leaning over his keyboard with TF in one tab and FreeRepublic, OReilly, Townhall, and Malkin in the others, ready to post "There's no hate..." in every political thread then run to the other sites and go "I sure told them" and wait for his virtual pats on the back.

Kome: For the first 4 or 5 years after I declared myself an atheist, my mom would just look at me and say "no, you're not."

I still get the "I blame myself, I should've made you go to church more often." line any time I talk about religion and politics. Apparently to her, my atheism is to blame for me being a liberal as well.

King Something: This country has new Mexicans?

Also, where's your crown?

There are tons of new mexicans every day!

I believe you stole my crown, interloper!

Sleeping Monkey: True enough, and thats the purpose of federal law - to protect basic freedoms laid out in the Constitution. States are only free to make laws that conform to those guidelines. The difficulty comes when trying to define those basic freedoms, which is what the court system is for.

I would argue that requiring me by law to make a daily pledge to my country/state "Under God", when I in fact choose not to believe in a God, is a direct violation of my first amendment rights. By recognizing and promoting any religion, which this clearly does, the pledge is violating the establishment clause which clearly states "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." I know many try to say the phrase "Under God" doesn't apply to one specific religion, but by mentioning a single God in any form it is fundamentally excluding those faiths which worship more than one deity as well as those who choose not to worship a God at all. I would argue that this shows a religious preference by the government, which is clearly forbidden by the first amendment as mentioned before.

I would also argue that placing "Under God" in a state or national pledge, which many school children are REQUIRED to say every morning under fear of disciplinary action or alienation by their peers, also violates the Free Exercise Clause which states that Congress can not prohibit the free exercise of religious practices. By requiring me to make a pledge "Under God" the state is violating my personal right to not practice a religion; as I don't believe in a God, forcing me to choose between saying a pledge which contains phrases clearly excluding those of my belief (non-belief) from it or not making the pledge at all is a clearly unfair and technically unconstitutional practice.

Somebody explain to me why I'm wrong.