Archive for March 3rd, 2008
Please re-take “Constitution 101″
Hudsonville, Michigan, where I attended high school, has attracted media attention over its mission statement:
The City Commission and Administration of the City of Hudsonville strive to serve God through the strengthening of family and community life and are committed to excellence in providing quality municipal services.
The city’s position was defended by the Grand Rapids Press.
I just sent an email to the city’s mayor, Donald VanDoeselaar:
As a former resident of Hudsonville, I’m disappointed to see the city espouse such flagrant disregard for the bedrock Constitutional principle of separation between religion and government.
Our country is a secular democratic republic, not a theocracy. Everyone is free to worship any deity, or no deity, as he/she sees fit. The proper role of the government is to attend to civic business, not to favor any establishments of religion.
If you want to worship an invisible man in the sky, that’s your business, but you have no right to officially endorse such belief in your capacity as a public official, or to use taxpayer funds to promote such an endorsement.
(Hat tip to Austin Cline.)