SWGA Politics

Putting aside differences?[ November 24, 2009 – 8:00 am]by Tom Posted in » Editorial

It happens every so often.  Sometimes, it happens more often than others, but it always happens.  Someone will look at a given controversy or situation, and then call for people to put aside their differences and work together to fixing whatever the problem is.  Universally, this is hailed as a good thing.  After all, who’s not in favor of “putting aside differences”?

Well, me for one. Read More …

So Help Me God[ November 24, 2009 – 6:02 am]by Jeff Posted in » General

Those four words tend to cause quite a bit of controversy in this country, particularly when Government forces them to be uttered.

In the latest case to come to my attention, the Marietta City Council is being asked to look at the oath they make their police officers swear to when being sworn in, which ends with the infamous four words “So Help Me God”.

According to the Marietta Daily Journal,

In reviewing the oath, Pearlberg noticed how it ended with the statement, “So help me God.”

“It’s a diverse population and a lot of people have diverse beliefs, and as a result I would not want to lose a potential officer as a result of that,” [City Councilman Van] Pearlberg said.

Mayor Bill Dunaway said in his eight years of administering the oath to police officers, the phrase has never caused a problem. But Councilman Philip Goldstein said just because no one has objected is not a sufficient reason to leave it unchanged.

Goldstein said city attorney Doug Haynie could come up with language to allow the police officer to say something else in the event the person didn’t want to swear to God.

There are a variety of reasons for objecting to swearing on a Bible or to God.
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