US government to fight for right to keep 'God' in pledge

0 Comments | AFP, September, 2005

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The US government said it would fight a court ruling that declared the Pledge of Allegiance in schools unconstitutional because it includes the words "under God."

"For more than two hundred years, many of our expressions of national identity and patriotism have referenced God," Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said in a statement announcing that the justice department would dispute the California court decision.

"The Supreme Court, which opens each session by saying 'God save the United States and this honorable Court,' has affirmed time and again that such official acknowledgments of our Nation's religious heritage, foundation, and character are constitutional," he added.

"The Department of Justice will continue vigorously to defend the...