From the Newsroom -- Tony Dodero

With all this talk of the Pledge of Allegiance, I recall the 1960s,

when I was in first grade and did a little altering of the flag salute of

my own.

It went something like this:

o7 I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America

and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God,

indivisible and with liberty and justice for all ... and lead us not into

temptation, amen.

f7 No that wasn’t some ‘60s hippie change to the pledge but the

Catholic school version in which I and some of my parochial classmates

intermingled the pledge with the Lord’s Prayer.

Looking back, it isn’t hard to see how this innocent confusion could

befall 5- and 6-year-olds, who at this young age were being forced to

learn how to recite not only the pledge but nursery rhymes, the ABCs and

the rosary.

Easy mistake.

But this week, as the Fourth of July commences and we get ready to

celebrate the birth of our independence, we’re being tested with the

ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals that the words “under God” are

to be stricken from the flag pledge.

Many have blasted the ruling, which came from a challenge by a

Sacramento doctor named Michael Newdow, an atheist who doesn’t want his

8-year-old daughter forced to say those words in a public school setting.

Newdow has been besieged by threats and angry phone calls -- one

person even called and said he hoped Newdow and his young, blameless

daughter go to hell.

To those who find this man despicable, just remember again what we

celebrate this week.

Independence.

That means we are all independent to think for ourselves, to espouse

beliefs that don’t necessarily mesh with the rest of the country.

That’s what being free people is all about. That’s what our founders

cherished so much.

As a believer, I must admit that I too have a problem, as most do,

with banning words that carry God’s name.

It kind of goes against my religious grain you might say.

In that regard, I don’t agree with the court’s ruling and believe it

has made a mountain out of a molehill.

But I’m also a card-carrying member of the First Amendment Coalition.

For those who believe in that amendment that ensures our right to

freedom of the press and freedom of speech, this is a conflicting ruling.

The Establishment Clause of that amendment clearly says, “Congress shall

make no law respecting the establishment of religion.”

When Congress inserted the phrase “under God” into the pledge in 1954,

it’s hard to argue that it did not establish something religious, you

must admit.

Still, this is 2002.

Multiple religions are practiced freely in the United States and

atheists are free to believe as they will, much as the Founding Fathers

intended.

Further, as we are all in need of a boost following the terrorist

attacks on our nation last September, the ruling could not have come at a

more inopportune moment in history.

Despite Newdow’s complaints, it’s hard to imagine how two little words

could make one man so uncomfortable that he would quit his job and mount

a legal campaign to eliminate them.

But that’s what he’s done.

Maybe, instead, he should just counsel his daughter to skip those

offending words when she recites the pledge. That seems a lot easier to

me than imposing his will on the majority of those in the U.S. who,

according to polls I’ve read, believe in some sort of supreme being.

Regardless, the next time you’re cursing this man for his actions,

remember that he’s just practicing those rights that make our country

stand out and tall among other nations.

It’s our right to disagree and tell him so also.

But no matter how wrong we think he is, also remember as Old Glory is

flying and the fireworks are streaming across the sky Thursday that it’s

the ability for people like Newdow to have dissent that makes this such a

great country and the reason we celebrate the day.

Happy Independence Day everyone.

Newsroom changes

I’d like to mention a few changes that have taken place here in the

Daily Pilot newsroom.

First, we have two new additions to the paper. One is news assistant

Christine Carrillo.

Carrillo grew up in Costa Mesa and is a recent graduate of Chapman

University in Orange. She will be handling some of the regular weekly

features and will be assigned to a new local business beat that we’ve

created.

Our next new arrival is news editor Lori Anderson. Anderson is a

recent journalism graduate from Cal State Fullerton, where she also

worked as a teaching assistant before coming aboard here. She’s a

talented and artistic page designer and will also help in the copy

editing duties.

Also, we have shifted some of the responsibilities among reporters and

have moved the John Wayne Airport beat to veteran June Casagrande, who

will continue covering Newport Beach City Hall as well.

Paul Clinton, who formerly covered John Wayne, will expand his

political and environmental beat coverage, contributing also to our

sister papers in Huntington and Laguna beaches.

Finally, on a personal note, I am pleased to announce that police and

courts reporter Deepa Bharath delivered a healthy baby boy at 2:30 a.m.

Friday. Little Varun Bharath, possible future journalist, is 8 pounds, 10

ounces, and both he and his mom are in good health, we hear.

Congratulations, Deepa.

* TONY DODERO is the editor. His column appears on Mondays. If you

have story ideas or concerns about news coverage, please send messages

either via e-mail to o7 tony.dodero@latimes.comf7 or by phone at (949)

574-4258.