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Forum tackles poster proposal
Vegas backs off rhetoric, but still pushing motto
| Wednesday, Oct 10 2007 11:52 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, Oct 10 2007 11:52 PM
Kern High School District trustee Chad Vegas said in a radio town hall forum Wednesday night that he spoke out of turn when he classified his detractors as, among other things, God haters.
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Panelists Dave Richmond, left, Lois Henry and Ken Mettler listen to a question posed to them by an audience member at the KNZR-sponsored forum on the issue of if the "In God We Trust" poster should be displayed in classrooms around Kern County. The town hall-style meeting was held at the DoubleTree Hotel in Bakersfield on Wedensday night.
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That did not lessen the weight of his message, however, that posters containing the phrase “In God We Trust” should hang in every district classroom, a policy he proposed at a board meeting last week.
“I’ve really probably at this point hit my quota for unhelpful statements,” Vegas said. He went on to say that after he listened to comments he made criticizing trustees and the newspaper, he was personally surprised because he is happy with the board of trustees.
KNZR 1560 AM hosted a debate featuring Vegas, KHSD trustee Ken Mettler, The Bakersfield Californian assistant managing editor Lois Henry, Bakersfield city councilwoman Jacquie Sullivan and former high school teacher and U.S. Constitution expert Dave Richmond.
The subject: the motto and the idea of separation of church and state.
“Look, we’re not trying to establish the nation’s motto ... the nation’s motto is in fact ‘In God We Trust,’” Vegas said. He recommended that if people wanted to debate whether it should be or not, that was something to take to Congress, not KHSD.
“We’re not teaching about God in public schools,” Sullivan said of the American Family Association poster bearing the motto. “But it’s very necessary and important that we teach patriotism. To me, as a strong believer, patriotism is love of God and love of country.”
She added that she did not believe it was possible to be truly patriotic without having a strong faith in God.
Henry countered that given Sullivan’s comments, the councilwoman was laying the groundwork for her stance — religion, not patriotism.
She said mandating the motto forced one version of patriotism on students, which infringed on minority rights.
“I don’t find that poster offensive,” Henry said. “I find it offensive that a state organization, via the government, the Kern High School District would try and essentially mandate that it be put up.” She added that minority rights as solidified in the Bill of Rights protect citizens from the tyranny of government, “And that’s called being patriotic.”
Richmond said Thomas Jefferson, who has been credited with the idea of separation of church and state, would be proud of the country for keeping religion and government totally separate.
“We keep religion amongst the private elements of society,” Richmond said, “within the churches, within the family. ... But we don’t have government either endorse or coerce us to believe in anything and that’s exactly what they intended.”
Vegas drafted a second proposal that would also require displaying the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence. This proposal will be introduced at a previously scheduled special board meeting on Oct. 22. Both may come for a vote at the Nov. 5 regular board meeting.
Sullivan had previously offered to have her nonprofit organization “In God We Trust — America Inc.” donate the motto posters. Mettler announced at the forum that Sullivan has also offered to cover the cost of posting the other documents.
Audience comments (edited for clarity):
I am an atheist but I am a patriot. ... Mr. Vegas, I think you trust in God. And I think that you honestly have a hope and a desire that the Kern high school students will also trust in God. But they don’t all trust in God. Some of them are atheist.
— Lydia Terry
When people imply I’m a God hater if I oppose this poster, it is precisely my love for God that does makes me oppose this poster because I do not want to see posters that say “In Allah We Trust.”
— Laurie Somers
In God We Trust ... it’s moral, it builds people’s character. It will affect different people in different ways. People that will be affected don’t want to think about God because they’re evil. And maybe some will change their ways. Some people might see it as a hopeful thing.
— Cindi Miller
I’m here because I am truly bothered by this whole situation. If the “In God We Trust” poster that is to be put up is an empty phrase and is meant to be portrayed as a patriotic act and phrase, why are we putting up an empty phrase. Why not something that means more to everybody as a nation ... why not “We the people” which is in the preamble saying that we the people as a nation are the ones who are governing ourselves.
— Yvonne Rodriguez, student