LIFE, LIBERTY, AND THE RIGHT TO NOT HAVE YOUR FEELINGS HURT :

Hurt Feelings Aren't Enough Of A Reason (Stuart Taylor Jr., July 8, 2002, National Journal)

In his intolerant urge to stop more than two centuries of government sponsorship of innocuous bows toward religion, Newdow typifies the hypersensitive, illiberal attitude of more than a few crusaders for strict separation of church and state -- an attitude that has infected some Supreme Court opinions. And in his desire to make not being offended a constitutional right, Newdow has something in common with campus multiculturalists bent on censoring as "harassment" the uttering of political opinions that offend members of politically preferred groups.

Newdow's pseudo-constitutional objection to being "made to feel like an outsider" draws undeserved plausibility from Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's dubious contention, in opinions since 1984, that the Constitution forbids any governmental endorsement of religion that "sends a message to non-adherents that they are outsiders, not full members of the political community." Someone should tell O'Connor that lots of folks are made to feel like outsiders every day, in many ways; the burden of hearing people go on about God at public events does not rank high on the scale of oppressiveness or deserve a constitutional remedy. I say this as one who doubts the wisdom (but not the constitutionality) of the 1954 law that put "under God" in the Pledge.

Stuart Taylor--aka : the thinking man's liberal--with a good exposition of when folks on the Left should and shouldn't be concerned about the comingling of church and state. Posted by Orrin Judd at July 8, 2002 3:30 PM