I want to thank all the men and woman, past and present, who have proudly served our country and made it what it is today. God bless each and everyone of you and may God keep you safe.
It has long been a tradition to commemorate Veteran’s Day on November 11, the anniversary of the end of World War I. By celebrating Veteran’s Day, it pays tribute to our ancestors who have un-selfishly fought, struggled and lost their lives to give us the freedom and rights as we American’s have, as well as what makes America stand out as the best country on earth.
On Saturday, when I picked up my copy of the Lock Haven Express and read Mr. Clarence Blessard Jr.’s letter to Mr. Donald Willis of the Keystone Central School District, my heart was deeply saddened.
Mr. Blessard’s letter to Mr. Willis was a result of notification that the invocation and benediction was to be eliminated from the Veteran’s Day program at Bucktail Area Junior/Senior High School. It had been eliminated under the threat of eliminating the program completely, if they were included.
How can you deny any one the right to speak openly and freely about God or anything else they believe in. For those of you who do not know or understand it is called the first amendment; it allows you freedom of speech, press, assembly and religion.
It allows us the right to express ourselves openly and freely without discrimination or judgement. Freedom of religion is considered a fundamental of human rights. How can anyone prohibit freedom of religion, when that is what our country was built on.
Remember the pledge of allegiance... "One nation under God" or how about the Declaration of Independence... "Endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights."
"The first amendment is one of the nations fundamental normative and cultural symbols. It reflects vital attributes of the American character and is the cornerstone of the nations liberty.
"The first amendment is known and cherished by virtually all citizens, who comprehend its essence even if they may not be able to recite its precise phrasing."
I strongly believe we live in a time where we need God the most. Open your eyes and take a look around, look at our country’s current situation. I’m not just speaking of America’s finest serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Look at our country’s crime rate, the prison systems are not full of innocent people.
I think it is a sin we can not pray or express our love of God at a Veteran’s day program, but people who do not believe in God or any other religious belief can express their opinions. Where do you draw the line, by giving in and allowing them their beliefs and sweeping mine under the rug? What you are doing is a breach of my first amendment rights.
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise there of."
As with anything else, if you do not agree with a situation, eliminate yourself from it. For those attending the Veteran’s day program at Bucktail Area High School and who did not wish to take part in the prayer, remove yourself from the situation, but don’t take your beliefs and values and put them on everyone else.
During this time, we have so many men and women all over the world in harms way, we need to get our priorities straight and in order and realize prayer is important in and outside the classroom. How can we properly honor these brave men and women, who fought and are still fighting to preserve our rights, one of the most important being freedom to worship.
If we keep pushing God into the background and out of our lives, the time will come when we will not have the freedom or maybe he will no longer choose to answer our calls.
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