New Times / Letter To The Editor

How dare you?

Robert Bettencourt

Astonishing! New Times gives a full page with mega typeface to a high-school freshman (“Remove ‘under God’ from the Pledge of Allegiance,” June 25) who presumptuously advocates for Buddhists that “under God” be stricken from the Pledge of Allegiance.

Young Emily Thurston contends our founding fathers would not have included “under God” because His name does not appear in such honored documents as the Declaration of Independence. If, by advancing this viewpoint through the pen of a naïve girl, New Times is goading God-fearing patriots to sound off, then you have got a taker in me.


It borders on the reckless to put such sophomoric points in print. “God” is well known as the English expression of deity; most of us revere deity under some monotheistic religion or other. Other terms for deity include “Creator,” as in “…endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights …” When Miss Thurston takes U.S. Government at Templeton High, she may recognize the source document.


Yes, Emily, be content: You may freely be an atheist in this country (try that in Iran). You and the Buddhists you presume to defend are free to remain silent as others around them say “under God;” the thoughtful ones know their very right to live freely has been purchased by the blood of others who fought to keep the government from establishing any particular religion. If you want to write about how the U.S. could more stridently oppose Chinese oppression of Buddhists in Tibet, we might be on the same page.