Posted on 10/06/2004 11:58:35 AM PDT by MaineRepublic
ESTES PARK - The mountain town of Estes Park is wrestling with some momentous issues these days; issues like freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the U.S. Constitution.
It all came to a head when Town Trustee David Habecker refused to recite the Pledge of Allegiance at last week's board meeting. Habecker says the "under God" clause clashes with the constitutional separation of church and state. "I firmly believe it is a violation of the Constitution and felt it was my duty to make that position known," says Habecker.
But Town Trustee Lori Jeffrey-Clark says Habecker should have made his objections known before he was elected. "You know we're all elected and we're all supposed to lay it out on the table, who and what we stand for," Jeffrey-Clark says. Habecker says the Pledge of Allegiance only became an issue when the Board of Trustees decided to start saying it at the beginning of their meetings last spring. "And then a couple of weeks ago it just hit me," Habecker says, "that I was being a hypocrite standing there, mouthing the words". So now Habecker remains in his chair and stays silent while the pledge is recited.
Some residents of Estes Park are drawing up a petition to recall Habecker. They only need about 215 valid signatures to get it on the ballot.
the actions of one man aren't the issue, the actions of an unpatriotic member of a towns governing board are.
And if a towns city government offends me, I will go elsewhere.
NO, all I want to do is make it known to them that this man is creating a problem for them and his actions may keep tourists away.
Estes Park is a tourist town after all
I think they already know that! They have already started a recall.
It is petty to try to punish a whole town for the unsupported actions of one man.
Let's rehash. The town has a policy of saying the pledge at council meetings, right? That is good, right? One man is an a$h$.
Conclusion: Punish the town?
I'm PRAYING, yes PRAYING, they get the 200 or so signatures.
He needs to go back to school (or to FINISH school), and to figure out the intent of the Founding Fathers was that the govt not dictate a PARTICULAR religion (such as Anglican) to which the people ('sheeple') must belong. If I lived in Estes, his path home at night would not be without signs and fanfare making fun of his idiotic stance. I would make it my MISSION to embarass him right out of town.
The latest on this story is that Habecker has won an injunction on the recall election from a Federal Judge in Denver. Much to the chagrin of the people of Estes Park, my hometown for 20 years, he has made this a national issue. In a speech to some group in Ft. Collins he made his agenda clear when he told them he wanted to have the Pledge removed from all public schools.
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