Under God

Article III, Section 2, of the U.S. Constitution:

...the supreme Court shall have appellate Jurisdiction, both as to Law and Fact, with such Exceptions, and under such Regulations as the Congress shall make.

Last week the House passed a bill to make just such an exception:

WASHINGTON -- The House, citing the nation's religious origins, voted Wednesday to protect the Pledge of Allegiance from federal judges who might try to stop schoolchildren and others from reciting it because of the phrase "under God."

The legislation, a priority of social conservatives, passed 260-167. It now goes to the Senate, where its future is uncertain.

"We should not and cannot rewrite history to ignore our spiritual heritage," said Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.). "It surrounds us. It cries out for our country to honor God."

Opponents said the legislation, which would bar federal courts from ruling on the constitutional validity of the pledge, would undercut judicial independence and would deny access to federal courts to religious minorities seeking to defend their rights.

"We are making an all-out assault on the Constitution of the United States which, thank God, will fail," said Sen. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).

The legislation grew out of a 2002 ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the pledge is unconstitutional when recited in public schools.

Interesting that Pelosi would call the exercising of a fundamental Constitutional authority of Congress an "assault" on the Constitution.

And what of that "spiritual heritage" mentioned by Sen. Wamp?

It is a simple statement of historical fact, as said in the Pledge of Allegiance, that this Nation was founded Under God.

Why anyone would think that such factual recognition amounts to Congress establishing an official relgion is incomprehensible.

Exhibit A is the Mayflower Compact of 1620:

"In the name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of England, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, e&. Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the Presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; And by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, King James of England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini, 1620."

Though headed for Virginia, God apparently saw fit to settle them in the Plymouth Colony of Massachusetts (which would become the "cradle of Liberty" 150 years later) by blowing them off course.

Over that first hard winter, ravaged by disease and harship, half of the colonists were dead.

What did they do?

Did they whine and complain about why some government didn't take care of them better, as if they were helpless infants?

No, they praised God and redoubled their efforts, celebrating a harvest feast (to later be enshrined as a model for our national Thanksgiving celebration).

And they prospered.

New Orleans, take note.

It is fashionable to revise and discredit the contributions of these people to our Founding by dismissing them as intolerant. The Pilgrims of Plymouth, however, should not be confused by the Puritans who arrived a decade later and built up Salem and Boston.

And about those witch trials of 1692?

What is not often recognized is that for the 20 that were executed, there had been 150 who had been accused, which is only 14%!

That's quite a low conviction rate for what is portrayed as an irrational kangaroo court.

Furthermore, what is even less known, is that a mere five years later,

1697 - The Massachusetts general court expresses official repentance regarding the actions of its judges during the witch hysteria of 1692. Jurors sign a statement of regret and compensation is offered to families of those wrongly accused.

That's not quite the picture the anti-American and anti-religious forces like to paint, is it?

And as for religious intolerance, Mass. was a leader in abolishing slavery early, to the extent that there were zero slaves found there in the census of 1790. They were driven to this by the seriousness of their Christian religious belief of the Universal Brotherhood of Mankind as taught by Jesus, as were the Quakers of Pennsylvania.

Because everyone was a Child of God.

How different from the basic islamic (it means "submission") relationship in which everyone is a Slave of Allah, making slavery a natural and even divinely-inspired institution, which exists with allah's blessings and specific koranic intructions to this very day.

Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah defines the concept of worship in Islam and explains that to be a true "slave of Allah" is a status of both virtue and nobility. The title "slave of Allaah" is one of great honor which Allah bestowed upon the best of creation, Muhammad (SAW).

How about that. A whole culture, without irony, declaring that Freedom is Slavery.

Indeed, the name "Abdallah", so common in the arab world, literally means "Slave of Allah."

The child is given a name indicating servitude to Allah (SWT) by calling him 'Abd (slave of...) followed by one of Allah’s (SWT) names, those which are confirmed for Him and the most beloved of such names to Allah (SWT) - the One free of all imperfections - are 'Abdullah (the slave of Allah) and 'Abdur-Rahman (the slave of the Most Merciful) as shown by the Hadith:

"The most beloved of your names to Allah - the Mighty and Magnificent - are 'Abdullah and 'Abdur-Rahman" (Reported by Muslim & Abu Dawud)
...
The Messenger (SAW) established the example for us in this by putting into practice, so he called on of his sons ‘Abdullah and he called the son of Abu Talhah: ‘Abdullah. He furthermore called the son of another ‘Abdur-Rahman and there are many more examples.

They bring their filthy practice here to this country, with two illustrative cases from just last month alone.

Slavery in Denver, Colorado:

A jury in the western U.S. state of Colorado has convicted a Saudi national of keeping his family’s Indonesian housekeeper captive for more than four years.

The jury found Homaidan al-Turki guilty Friday on 12 charges of false imprisonment, extortion and sexual abuse involving the woman, who al-Turki brought to the United States in 2000 to cook and take care of his wife and children at their home in a Denver suburb.

Al-Turki’s attorney argued that cultural differences are behind the charges, and said the verdict would be appealed.

And technically, that lawyer is correct! Their islamic culture encourages slavery.

Doesn't mean they aren't guilty as hell.

Al-Turki is a linguistics doctoral candidate at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Let's give them more visas, shall we?

The 2 1/2-week trial ended in drama in the courtroom, with as many as nine sheriff's deputies trying to keep peace while Al-Turki's supporters howled at the verdict that was delivered after a day of deliberation.

One man was forcibly removed.

Jabbering savages, the lot of them.

And in Irvine, California:

An Egyptian former couple have pleaded guilty to enslaving a 10-year-old girl in their southern California home.

The girl, who was brought to the US from Egypt, was forced to work 16-hour days and was not allowed to leave the house during her 20-month ordeal. [She was given by her family in Egypt as payment of a debt.]

Abdel Nasser Eid Youssef Ibrahim, 45, and his ex-wife, Amal Ahmed Ewis-abd Motelib, 43, agreed to plead guilty to four federal charges.

They face jail terms of three years when they are sentenced in October [and $100,000 in compensation].

She was forced to clean their home, take care of their five children, prepare food and do the laundry, for no pay. She lived in squalor in the garage and was told that if she left the house in Irvine, southern California, she might be arrested.

So much for celebrating all cultures equally.