Dear Editor:
I would like to respond to Elaine Flood’s letter published recently in your newspaper and the subsequent criticisms it drew.
I too am against the court’s ruling to remove the words “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance. I am not a religious zealot or fanatic, but I do believe in God. I believe that religion serves an important purpose in our society; that is, all religions. We are a nation of many faiths. So to say “one nation under God” is not inaccurate and should not be considered offensive to anyone. I also agree with Mrs. Flood’s opinion that most of the victims of September 11th reached out to their faith when faced with their inevitable demise. As I (and I’m sure most of the world) watched these events unfold, it is my belief that we all prayed for the victims whose lives were being unjustly taken.
With this in mind, I respect the opinions of Mrs. Nanfro and Mr. Novi. But I disagree with their attempt to limit people like myself and Elaine Flood from exercising our basic rights to express our beliefs, i.e., Freedom of Speech, Religion and Personal Opinions.
God Bless America.
Paul H. Helwig