Gingrich Calls for Removal of Judge Who Ruled Prayer Not Allowed at Graduation
While many people were shocked when NBC edited out the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance, most people have no idea about the fight in Texas to stop a federal judge from arresting anyone who mentioned “God,” “prayer,” or even said “amen” at a high school graduation.
It’s true: Judge Fred Biery has ruled it unconstitutional for these words to be uttered at a high school graduation.
While citizens can’t kick these federal judges out of office, we can abolish their positions, points out Newt Gingrich. In a statement released today, Gingrich called for Judge Biery’s office to be eliminated, and launched a petition calling for the move. As Gingrich explains in his just released book A Nation Like No Other, “The final power in America lies not with judges or presidents or bureaucrats, but with the American people. We loan power to the government. And as Jefferson demonstrated dramatically when he abolished eighteen federal judgeships, we can take it back when it is abused.”
Human Events, building on the former speaker's criticism, has launched a petition to abolish Federal District Judge Fred Biery’s judgeship in the U.S. District Court for Western Texas. Says Gingrich: “This will help us send a message to activist judges: You can’t erase God from America.”
This made my blood boil. This 'judge' provided a list of censored words to a Texas high school. The young lady who was to give the valedictory address wanted to thank God for all that He had done for her, and some atheist bully took her and her school to court to beat them down and preemptively silence her. Federal Judge Biery ordered that she make no mention of God and gave her a list of words that she couldn't say at the graduation, with the threat of arrest, imprisonment, and fines (all of which are penalties for violating a federal court order):
Among the words and phrases banned by Judge Biery are “amen,” “prayer,” “join in prayer,” “bow your heads,” or "in [a deity's] name we pray." He also ordered that the words “benediction” and “invocation” be removed from the graduation program. “These terms shall be replaced with ‘opening remarks’ and ‘closing remarks’,” he decreed.
Fortunately, a higher court found the right to Freedom of Speech that Biery seems to have overlooked. It seems that the student's mention of God wasn't an 'Establishment of Religion', because she is a private citizen and she has a right to speak her mind. What a revolutionary idea.
It's time to give Judge Biery a list of 8 words he can't say:
1) I.
2 am.
3) still.
4) employed.
5 as.
6) a.
7) Federal.
8) Judge.
Please sign the petition to remove him.
Are you suggesting the Government should use a loophole to fire a Judge who's judgement you disagreed with?
ReplyDeleteReally?
You don't seem to understand what the separation of church and state is, and why you should be a defender of it. It is a Public School event. There fore it is an instrument of the Government. Therefore it must be kept secular to protect both the state from religion, and religion from the state.
I suggest thinking about what you would say if a student stood up at that Graduation ceremony and called on everyone to pray in the name of Allah. Or Vishnu. Or whatever other specific deity you can name.
??? A judge mad a bad decision, it was quashed on appeal. And this makes you blood boil? Being berated about God while you are sitting in a texas high-school auditorium waiting to receive your diploma doesn't count as being forced to listen?
ReplyDeleteFeh.