{"id":366,"date":"2011-06-20T16:11:42","date_gmt":"2011-06-20T20:11:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/?p=366"},"modified":"2011-06-21T17:12:16","modified_gmt":"2011-06-21T21:12:16","slug":"nbc-should-pledge-to-air-entire-pledge-with-under-god","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/06\/nbc-should-pledge-to-air-entire-pledge-with-under-god.html","title":{"rendered":"NBC Should Pledge to Air Entire Pledge with “Under God”"},"content":{"rendered":"

The United States Open golf tournament – 111 years of history.\u00a0 It’s America’s\u00a0venerable and prestigious golf championship.\u00a0 And, for the third time in its long history, the U.S. Open was held at Congressional Country Club, just outside the nation’s capital.<\/p>\n

NBC televised the event, in conjunction with the United States Golf Association (USGA).\u00a0 They spent a lot of time and resources chronicling the history and heritage of this great event.<\/p>\n

But, when they broadcast a feature story designed to pay tribute to the nation itself, that’s where the problems began.<\/p>\n

As school children recited the Pledge of Allegiance, NBC cut-out the phrase ‘under God’ – not once, but twice.\u00a0 That’s right – the Pledge of Allegiance – edited – the phrase ‘under God’ blatantly left out.<\/p>\n

The move instantly offended millions of Americans, as it should. Here’s the tribute, which includes the recitation of the Pledge without the phrase ‘under God’.<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=W-S8K_jQAsw<\/a>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

NBC tried to explain it away with a brief apology<\/a> hours later. A commentator with NBC read this statement on the air: “We began our coverage of this final round just about three hours ago and when we did it was our intent to begin the coverage of this U.S. Open Championship with a feature that captured the patriotism of our national championship being held in our nation’s capital for the third time.<\/p>\n

“Regrettably, a portion of the Pledge of Allegiance that was in that feature was edited out. It was not done to upset anyone and we’d like to apologize to those of you who were offended by it.”<\/p>\n

Imagine, an apology that omits the very words that were edited out<\/em>.\u00a0 That’s right, even in the apology, NBC failed to use the words ‘under God’ – a phrase that apparently was still too controversial to mention on-air.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

In an attempt to chronicle our nation’s history and heritage, how could you edit out the phrase ‘under God’ from the Pledge of Allegiance?\u00a0<\/p>\n

This time-honored tradition has been a critical part of the Pledge for more than half a century.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Congress added the phrase in 1954, passing a law, at the encouragement of then President Eisenhower, who stated at the time, “In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace and war.”\u00a0 You can read the statute here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This snafu involving NBC is just the latest assault on the Pledge.\u00a0 We defend the Pledge in courtrooms across America from legal challenges by organizations like the Freedom From Religion Foundation and others.\u00a0 In fact, just last week, there was an important important victory regarding the Pledge in a New Hampshire case.\u00a0 More about that victory here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Americans understand what’s taking place – whether it’s a direct legal challenge in the courts or an on-air snub during the broadcast of our national championship of golf.<\/p>\n

The truth is, NBC would never have even attempted an on-air “apology” had this not touched off an online firestorm<\/a> – with blogs, Twitter and Facebook.<\/p>\n

NBC and the USGA treated the phrase ‘under God’ like a throw-away line, an afterthought.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For many, that\u00a0“apology” was too little, too late.\u00a0\u00a0Thousands of Americans are standing with us in sending a Letter of Protest<\/a> demanding that NBC put in place a policy that ensures when the Pledge airs, so do the words, ‘under God’.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The United States Open golf tournament – 111 years of history.\u00a0 It’s America’s\u00a0venerable and prestigious golf championship.\u00a0 And, for the third time in its long history, the U.S. Open was held at Congressional Country Club, just outside the nation’s capital. NBC televised the event, in conjunction with the United States Golf Association (USGA).\u00a0 They spent…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[117,17,116],"tags":[122,743,121,118,120,747,20,119],"class_list":["post-366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nbc","category-pledge-of-allegiance","category-u-s-open","tag-111th-u-s-open","tag-aclj","tag-congressional-country-club","tag-golf-championship","tag-nbc-sports","tag-pledge-of-allegiance","tag-under-god","tag-usga"],"yoast_head":"\nNBC Should Pledge to Air Entire Pledge with "Under God" - Faith & Justice<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/06\/nbc-should-pledge-to-air-entire-pledge-with-under-god.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NBC Should Pledge to Air Entire Pledge with "Under God" - Faith & Justice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The United States Open golf tournament – 111 years of history.\u00a0 It’s America’s\u00a0venerable and prestigious golf championship.\u00a0 And, for the third time in its long history, the U.S. Open was held at Congressional Country Club, just outside the nation’s capital. NBC televised the event, in conjunction with the United States Golf Association (USGA).\u00a0 They spent…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/06\/nbc-should-pledge-to-air-entire-pledge-with-under-god.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Faith & Justice\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-06-20T20:11:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-06-21T21:12:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/files\/2011\/06\/shutterstock_206165261-150x150.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jay Sekulow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"NBC Should Pledge to Air Entire Pledge with \"Under God\" - Faith & Justice","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/06\/nbc-should-pledge-to-air-entire-pledge-with-under-god.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"NBC Should Pledge to Air Entire Pledge with \"Under God\" - Faith & Justice","og_description":"The United States Open golf tournament – 111 years of history.\u00a0 It’s America’s\u00a0venerable and prestigious golf championship.\u00a0 And, for the third time in its long history, the U.S. Open was held at Congressional Country Club, just outside the nation’s capital. NBC televised the event, in conjunction with the United States Golf Association (USGA).\u00a0 They spent…","og_url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/06\/nbc-should-pledge-to-air-entire-pledge-with-under-god.html","og_site_name":"Faith & Justice","article_published_time":"2011-06-20T20:11:42+00:00","article_modified_time":"2011-06-21T21:12:16+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/files\/2011\/06\/shutterstock_206165261-150x150.jpg"}],"author":"Jay Sekulow","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/06\/nbc-should-pledge-to-air-entire-pledge-with-under-god.html","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/06\/nbc-should-pledge-to-air-entire-pledge-with-under-god.html","name":"NBC Should Pledge to Air Entire Pledge with \"Under God\" - Faith & Justice","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/06\/nbc-should-pledge-to-air-entire-pledge-with-under-god.html#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/06\/nbc-should-pledge-to-air-entire-pledge-with-under-god.html#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/files\/2011\/06\/shutterstock_206165261-150x150.jpg","datePublished":"2011-06-20T20:11:42+00:00","dateModified":"2011-06-21T21:12:16+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/#\/schema\/person\/fd4c384af0620d4b82ae09cf1d77bdb4"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/06\/nbc-should-pledge-to-air-entire-pledge-with-under-god.html#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/06\/nbc-should-pledge-to-air-entire-pledge-with-under-god.html"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/06\/nbc-should-pledge-to-air-entire-pledge-with-under-god.html#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/files\/2011\/06\/shutterstock_206165261-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/files\/2011\/06\/shutterstock_206165261-150x150.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/06\/nbc-should-pledge-to-air-entire-pledge-with-under-god.html#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"NBC Should Pledge to Air Entire Pledge with “Under God”"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/","name":"Faith & Justice","description":"Jay Sekulow - ACLJ","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/#\/schema\/person\/fd4c384af0620d4b82ae09cf1d77bdb4","name":"Jay Sekulow","description":"Jay Sekulow is Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), a law firm and educational organization that focuses on constitutional law. He is also Chief Counsel of the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ). Jay Sekulow is one of the leading defenders of constitutional rights and religious liberties in the United States. Over the past 25 years, Jay Sekulow has amassed an unparalleled record of accomplishment, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court on 12 occasions. His aggressive litigation strategy before the Supreme Court has led to many landmark First Amendment victories. In his first case before the Supreme Court, Jews for Jesus, Jay Sekulow secured the right of religious groups to pass out tracks in airports. In Mergens, Jay Sekulow successfully protected the right of students to form Bible clubs and prayer groups on public school campuses. In Lamb\u2019s Chapel, Jay Sekulow cleared the way for churches to have equal access to public facilities in the same way that other groups are permitted to utilize those facilities. In the Bray and Operation Rescue cases, Jay Sekulow protected the free speech rights of pro-life advocates to be free from criminal prosecution for conveying their pro-life message. In McConnell v. FEC, Jay Sekulow protected the right of young people to engage in the political process by donating to the campaign of their choice. In Pleasant Grove, Jay Sekulow paved the way for governments to be able to display Ten Commandments monuments, and other monuments of their choosing, in public parks. Through the ACLJ, Jay Sekulow engages the political, legal, and cultural battles facing America today. He routinely works with Members of Congress, advising them on proposed legislation and representing them in critical legal matters. Jay Sekulow has also testified before Congress on the constitutionality of proposed legislation. Also, in addition to being a successful Supreme Court advocate, Jay Sekulow is a highly respected broadcaster. Jay Sekulow is the host of Jay Sekulow Live! which airs each weekday on over 850 radio stations nationwide, in addition Sirius and XM satellite radio. He brings insight and education to listeners daily through this national call-in radio program. He is also the host of the ACLJ This Week, the ACLJ\u2019s weekly television program. Jay Sekulow regularly appears on major media outlets, including FOX News, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC, where he is sought out for his vast experience in constitutional law and his unique insight into many of the pressing legal and political issues facing America today. He is frequently quoted in the nation's leading newspapers and often contributes opinion editorials to national publications. Jay Sekulow has also published numerous law review and other scholarly articles. Jay Sekulow has received numerous honors for his groundbreaking legal work in the area of free speech and religious liberties. The Legal Times has named Sekulow one of \u201cThe 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years\u201d and the National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \u201c100 Most Influential Lawyers\u201d in the United States. In addition, TIME Magazine listed Jay Sekulow as one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America. Jay Sekulow\u2019s legal work in defense of religious liberties and human rights extends beyond the United States, having founded the ECLJ in Strasbourg, France, which maintains consultative status with the United Nations. He has also opened offices in Pakistan, Africa, and Jerusalem, Israel. Jay Sekulow is a staunch defender of Israel, presenting arguments before the International Criminal Court at the Hague. His efforts in support of Israel\u2019s right to defend itself from terrorist attacks have been commended by Israeli government officials, one official stating, \"Jay was instrumentally-involved in projects that the President of Israel and the Prime Minister put on our national agenda.\" Jay Sekulow also has a passion for educating the next generation of religious liberty advocates. He is a member of the Regent University Law School Faculty as a Distinguished Professor of Law and routinely teaches courses on constitutional law and presents guest lectures. Jay Sekulow has also started educational programs in international human rights law in Strasbourg, France and at Handong University in South Korea. Jay Sekulow is a graduate of Mercer University, earning both a bachelor\u2019s degree and doctor of jurisprudence. Sekulow served on the editorial staff of the Mercer Law Review and graduated cum laude. He later earned a Ph.D. from Regent University, writing his dissertation on American Legal History. Jay Sekulow also serves on the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, D.C. Jay Sekulow, ACLJ Chief Counsels full biography and video. Jay Sekulow on Facebook. Jay Sekulow on Twitter. Jay Sekulow on YouTube.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/author\/jay_sekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=366"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":378,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/366\/revisions\/378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}