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ABOUT US
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May 15, 2000 Office of the President The Ohio state motto says, "With God, all things are possible." Now a federal court has ruled the motto unconstitutional. We must help get this opinion reversed. What’s next? "In God we trust" on our coins and currency? "One nation under God" in the pledge of allegiance? Let’s draw the line here! Dear Friend of the National Legal Foundation: You may remember that I have written to you previously about the Ohio motto case. It seems that the ACLU doesn’t like the fact that the motto mentions God. So they did what they always do. They sued! A federal trial judge ruled against the ACLU and in favor of the motto. But the ACLU appealed that decision to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. And a three judge panel said that the motto violated the Establishment Clause. With your help, the National Legal Foundation has been able to help defend the motto every step of the way. We have filed two friend-of-the-court briefs thus far. But now the Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery must keep fighting to preserve the motto. She has asked the entire Sixth Circuit to review the decision of the three judge panel. I spoke to the Attorney General’s office just days ago and told them that we would file a brief supporting their request. If the court grants the request, there will have to be a second round of briefs – and again the NLF will file one in support of the motto and against the ACLU’s radical plan to strip away our religious heritage. If the court denies the request to review the decision, we anticipate that Governor Bob Taft and Attorney General Montgomery will appeal to the United States Supreme Court . . . since Governor Taft has already publicly pledged to "do everything within my power to uphold and defend the motto of our state as adopted by the General Assembly." Of course, if Ohio wins in the Sixth Circuit, the ACLU could appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. So either way, this one could go all the way! We have already begun work on our brief. And we know that our briefs make a difference. Even though the three judge panel came to the wrong decision, it acknowledged that we made important arguments in our amicus brief. That was the second brief that we had filed in this case. A brief that our friends like you helped fund. And we need your help again. Because the three judge panel mentioned our brief in its published opinion, we will have a strong position from which to get the attention of the entire Sixth Circuit. And remember, this case is very important. If Ohio can’t say "With God, all things are possible," none of our other public acknowledgements of God will be are safe either. "In God we trust" on our coins and currency could be next. Or "One nation under God" in the pledge of allegiance. Remember, this is how the ACLU works. They get one court to give them a crazy ruling and then they go around the country convincing other courts that they must rule the same way. Let’s stop them right here, right now! For religious freedom, Steven W. Fitschen P.S. The work has already begun. We must file the brief within days. Please send as generous a gift as possible just as quickly as you can. And as always please know that your gifts and prayers mean so much to us as we take on this and many other battles. P.P.S. For any gift of $25.00 or more we will be glad to send you a copy of the National Legal Foundation/Minuteman Institute Briefing on "‘In God We Trust’ and its Application to the Coins and Currency of the United States of America." Just check the box on the enclosed card. |
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Post Office Box 64427, Virginia Beach, Virginia, 23467-4427 |
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© 2006 by the National Legal Foundation & Minuteman Institute |
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