| Topic: |
Sociology > Education |
| User: |
"" |
| Date: |
28 Jan 2006 07:40:30 AM |
| Object: |
George H.W. Bush on atheism and patriotism |
This is old news but it is nice to remind people about it from time to time
http://www.infidels.org/news/atheism/arguments.html#bush
George Bush on atheism and patriotism
"Did George Bush really say that atheists should not be considered
citizens?"
The following exchange took place at the Chicago airport between Robert I.
Sherman of American Atheist Press and George Bush, on August 27 1987.
Sherman is a fully accredited reporter, and was present by invitation as a
member of the press corps. The Republican presidential nominee was there to
announce federal disaster relief for Illinois. The discussion turned to the
presidential primary:
RS:
"What will you do to win the votes of Americans who are atheists?"
GB:
"I guess I'm pretty weak in the atheist community. Faith in God is
important to me."
RS:
"Surely you recognize the equal citizenship and patriotism of Americans
who are atheists?"
GB:
"No, I don't know that atheists should be considered as citizens, nor
should they be considered patriots. This is one nation under God."
RS:
"Do you support as a sound constitutional principle the separation of
state and church?"
GB:
"Yes, I support the separation of church and state. I'm just not very
high on atheists."
UPI reported on May 8, 1989, that various atheist organizations were still
angry over the remarks.
The exchange appeared in the Boulder Daily Camera on Monday February 27,
1989. It can also be found in "Free Inquiry" magazine, Fall 1988 issue,
Volume 8, Number 4, page 16.
On October 29, 1988, Mr. Sherman had a confrontation with Ed Murnane,
co-chairman of the Bush-Quayle '88 Illinois campaign. This concerned a
lawsuit Mr. Sherman had filed to stop the Community Consolidated School
District 21 (Chicago, Illinois) from forcing his first-grade atheist son to
pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States as "one nation under
God" (Bush's phrase). The following conversation took place:
RS:
"American Atheists filed the Pledge of Allegiance lawsuit yesterday.
Does the Bush campaign have an official response to this filing?"
EM:
"It's *****."
RS:
"What is *****?"
EM:
"Everything that American Atheists does, Rob, is *****."
RS:
"Thank you for telling me what the official position of the Bush
campaign is on this issue."
EM:
"You're welcome."
After Bush's election, American Atheists wrote to Bush asking him to
retract his statement. On February 21st 1989, C. Boyden Gray, Counsel to
the President, replied on White House stationery that Bush substantively
stood by his original statement, and wrote:
"As you are aware, the President is a religious man who neither
supports atheism nor believes that atheism should be unnecessarily
encouraged or supported by the government."
For further information, contact American Atheist Veterans at the American
Atheist Press's Cameron Road address.
##########################################################
***************************************************************
You are invited to check out the following:
The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm
American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation of
Church and State in general, listed below]
HRSepCnS · Hampton Roads [Virginia] SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
[Its not just Hampton Roads folks who are members, there are members from
all over the US and a couple from overseas as well]
***************************************************************
.. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v. Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
.. . .
****************************************************************
USAF LT. COL (Ret) Buffman (Glen P. Goffin) wrote
"You pilot always into an unknown future;
facts are your only clue. Get the facts!"
That philosophy 'snipit' helped to get me, and my crew, through a good
many combat missions and far too many scary, inflight, emergencies.
It has also played a significant role in helping me to expose the
plethora of radical Christian propaganda and lies that we find at
almost every media turn.
*****************************************************************
THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
****************************************************************
.
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| User: "Fester" |
|
| Title: Re: George H.W. Bush on atheism and patriotism |
28 Jan 2006 11:09:13 AM |
|
|
To those who might be confused, these heinous remarks were not made by
the current President, who has been rather accepting of atheists. They
were made by Bush Sr in 1987.
.
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| User: "" |
|
| Title: Re: George H.W. Bush on atheism and patriotism |
29 Jan 2006 06:07:04 AM |
|
|
Fester <not@home.com> wrote:
:|To those who might be confused, these heinous remarks were not made by
:|the current President, who has been rather accepting of atheists. They
:|were made by Bush Sr in 1987.
That is why it was titled George H.W. Bush instead of George Bush or
George W. Bush
Anyone who doesn't know the difference wasted either an education or a
mind or both and I don't have time to fool with them.
However, one can wonder if the current Bush really feels any different on
the topic. I would suggest some of his actions and comments would say
probably not. much if at all.
After all he is the "war President," ( something his father, at least,
appeared to be troubled by and hate, perhaps because he was actually in a
war, and something baby teflon Bush seems to love) in search of a war.
As I saw in a interview last night on tv Gore Vidal say (paraphrasing)
Lincoln was a real war President unlike some her wouldn't name, but who
liked to claim he was a War President. The war on terrorism is like a
"the war on dandruff." It isn't a real war.
***************************************************************
You are invited to check out the following:
The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm
American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation of
Church and State in general, listed below]
HRSepCnS · Hampton Roads [Virginia] SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
[Its not just Hampton Roads folks who are members, there are members from
all over the US and a couple from overseas as well]
***************************************************************
.. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v. Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
.. . .
****************************************************************
USAF LT. COL (Ret) Buffman (Glen P. Goffin) wrote
"You pilot always into an unknown future;
facts are your only clue. Get the facts!"
That philosophy 'snipit' helped to get me, and my crew, through a good
many combat missions and far too many scary, inflight, emergencies.
It has also played a significant role in helping me to expose the
plethora of radical Christian propaganda and lies that we find at
almost every media turn.
*****************************************************************
THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
****************************************************************
.
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