Flag to be flown pledges
‘One Nation Under God’
BY SUE M. MORGAN
Staff Writer
OLD BRIDGE — A triangular pennant with the words "One Nation Under God" will fly under Old Glory outside the municipal complex starting this weekend.
That same pennant, a gift to the township from the Knights of Columbus of St. Bernadette’s Roman Catholic Church, will be raised and lowered each day with the American flag, in accordance with a decision made Monday night by the Township Council.
Mayor Jim Phillips and Councilman Dennis Maher accepted the white banner with blue lettering from two knights from the church following the council’s unanimous vote to display the banner on the flagpole in the plaza of the municipal center.
Knights’ Deputy Director Ed Marks and Past Grand Knight George French told those in attendance that the pennant’s message is a reminder to residents, regardless of their religious beliefs, of the freedom of religion guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. The message is not intended to single out or favor one religion over another, both knights said.
A brief ceremony to hoist the banner on the flagpole will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Phillips announced.
Many onlookers present in the council chambers applauded the presentation just as they had done when the council approved the resolution to display the banner minutes earlier.
The council also agreed to forward a resolution to the U.S. Supreme Court asking that the words "under God" not be omitted from the Pledge of Allegiance.
"This resolution is just our way of saying that ‘under God’ should remain in the Pledge of Allegiance," Maher said before the vote.
"If you reach into your pocket and take out a dollar bill, you’ll see the words, ‘In God we trust,’ printed on it," he continued. "This is not singling out one religion over another."
Old Bridge is a community with strong religious ties, Maher said, noting that on any given Sunday, places of worship in the township are full.
Pennants similar to the one presented by the Knights from St. Bernadette’s have been raised underneath American flags at municipal buildings in Sayreville and South Amboy, Maher noted.
"We really are one nation under God," he said. "We’re showing that support."
Two residents, however, voiced concern that displaying the pennant could be construed as the township’s endorsement of a particular religion. The pennant’s message could be seen by some residents as a means of "imposing" religion upon people who do not necessarily believe in a deity, said resident Linda Seiler.
The banner could offend some visitors to municipal buildings because individuals have differing concepts of God, said resident Reginald Springer, who described himself as a Christian."The concept might be different for everyone," he said.
Conversely, two other residents were applauded by audience members when they verbally endorsed the two resolutions.
Louis Valentino, a resident of the Madison Park section, decried the movement by some Americans to take "under God" out of the Pledge of Allegiance.
"This country is being led and misled by a minority uprooting a majority," Valentino said. "This country was founded on freedom of religion and freedom of speech."
Resident Anita Clavering dismissed any notion that the banner endorsed any particular religion.
"I don’t see anything wrong with this banner," Clavering said. "It demonstrates religious freedom and it’s not an issue of church and state."
Saturday morning’s ceremony will be held at the flagpole in front of the municipal complex.