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http://ga4.org/njdc/notice-description.tcl?newsletter_id=3451831
The separation of church and state that protects every American's religious liberty has never been as threatened as it is today. As we wait to see who George W. Bush nominates tonight at 9:00 pm ET to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, religious freedom literally hangs in the balance.
Justice O'Connor single-handedly kept the wall of separation between church and state standing during her time on the Court. Simply put, if she had not been on the Court, we would have Christian prayer in the schools, and Christian religious symbols displayed in public places.
George W. Bush has said all along that he would appoint justices in the mold of Justice Clarence Thomas. So where does Justice Thomas stand on the separation of church and state that we cherish?
Just recently, as Justice O'Connor was voting to preserve religious freedom in the Ten Commandment cases, Justice Thomas wrote that he does not believe that state and local governments are bound by the part of the First Amendment of the Constitution positing that "no law" shall be made "respecting an establishment of religion." Under Justice Thomas' reading of the Constitution, sectarian prayer in schools would be fine; given a nominee in the mold of Justice Thomas, we may well see many more unthinkable changes that would imperil every American's religious liberty.
Now is the time to act -- here are three things to do, today:
- Tell George W. Bush the qualities you want to see in his Supreme Court nominee: click here right now to sign NJDC's petition and send a message to George W. Bush. http://ga4.org/ct/F1akO051JRBi/
- Tell your United States Senator to bear in mind the importance of the separation of church and state during Senate debate of any Supreme Court nominee: click here right now to send your Senators a message. http://ga4.org/ct/FdakO051JRBk/
- Share this message with at least five friends and family members who share our values: click here right now to do so. http://ga4.org/njdc/join-forward.html?domain=njdc&r=b7akO051_X4N&
As American Jews, as Americans, we cannot stand idly by while our country is transformed into a place hostile to members of minority faiths. The religious freedom guaranteed to every American by the separation of church and state has helped to make America one of the most religious countries in the world; we must not let one of America's founding freedoms be irreparably destroyed.
I urge you to raise your voice, today. Click here to sign NJDC's petition and send a message today to George W. Bush -- and click here right now to tell your Senators to remember the crucial separation of church and state during the "advise and consent" process. And please click here to share this message with at least five others who share our values.
In the middle of World War II, Justice Robert Jackson wrote for a majority of the Supreme Court that nothing -- not even war -- justified official efforts to coerce citizens on matters of belief or to lend an official stamp of approval to any one set of beliefs. "If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation," the Court wrote in the case of West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette (1943), "it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith" in it.
In Barnette, the Court protected a Jehovah's Witness student from having to pledge allegiance to the flag; while members of that religion were quite patriotic, they nonetheless viewed pledging to the flag as a form of idol worship. The Court recognized the threat to America's unity from any group or sect elevating its beliefs and its symbols above those of other believers or non-believers; such actions -- which so many on the radical right now seek -- are profoundly divisive, as they raise the issue of "whose unity it shall be."
This is truly a critical time for all of the freedoms that we treasure as Americans. It is a time for Justices like Robert Jackson, rather than Justices modeled after Scalia and Thomas. It is a time for our voices to be heard; and when we stand together, our voices can -- and will -- be heard.
Alan Dershowitz
Cameron Kerry, NJDC Executive Committee
Amb. Arthur Schechter, NJDC National Chairman
Marc Stanley, NJDC Executive Committee
Larry Stempler, NJDC Board of Directors
Kenneth A. Sweder