11-year-old Florida boy spearheads Pledge petition

EDITOR'S NOTE:This article was updated on Feb. 19

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MILTON (FBW)-When 11-year-old Tanner Lunsford, a member of Pine Terrace Baptist Church in Milton, visited Washington, D.C., on a family vacation last fall, he noticed that many of the monuments quoted Bible verses. Not long after they returned to their Panhandle home, controversy erupted over the words "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance.

The California Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in early 2003 that "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance was in violation of the separation of church and state. Although the ruling was opposed by a plethora of agencies and organizations, including the U.S. Justice Department, the Circuit Court refused to rehear the case. The case was appealed to the nation’s highest court.

Tanner questioned how a nation whose monuments spoke of God’s influence in the building of America could take His name out of its pledge. He decided to take on the issue.

"I think that kids should have a say in this decision," he wrote in a statement to Florida Baptist Witness. "After all, we are the ones who recite the Pledge of Allegiance every morning."

Citing September 11 as proof of America’s dependence on God, Tanner continued, "I believe that this is ‘one nation under God.’"

Tanner asked parents, Keith and Donna Lunsford, what to do about his convictions. After consulting the American Center for Law and Justice in Virginia Beach, Va., they advised Tanner to start a petition among his classmates so they could let the Supreme Court know their feelings on the Pledge.

What started in his fifth grade classroom at Rhodes Elementary School has mushroomed into a county-wide movement among not only elementary students but also middle and high school students. One 50-yard-long petition is filled, and another of the same size is circulating throughout area schools.

With permission from school administrators, Tanner, along with various relatives, visits school cafeterias during lunch hours to collect signatures.

As of Jan. 5, almost 4,000 students had endorsed the petition.

The petition reads: "Dear Supreme Court of the United States of America: I understand that someone wants to take ‘under God’ out of our Pledge of Allegiance. I feel that you should not take that out of our Pledge. Also, I think that it is important that you know how we, the kids of America, feel about this decision. Shouldn’t it matter how we feel about this? After all, we are the ones that stand up every morning and say the Pledge. Please consider all of the signatures from kids that feel the same way that I do. Thank you."

With the Pledge issue set to be addressed by the Supreme Court in early spring, Tanner and his family hope to deliver the massive petition to the Court, and perhaps President George Bush, in person. Their congressman, Jeff Miller, also has offered to deliver the document.

Tanner, as one of the "kids of America," said, "It is our duty to protect what it true."

In related news, the American Center for Law and Justice filed a friend of the court brief with the United States Supreme Court Dec. 19 in support of the Pledge. They represented more than 250,000 Americans who have signed onto their brief and joined the ACLJ Committee to Protect the Pledge. In addition, they represented nearly 70 members of Congress.

Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the ACLJ, a public interest law firm specializing in constitutional law, told Florida Baptist Witness the proposed censorship of the pledge has motivated people like Tanner to act.

"The Pledge case has touched a nerve across America," Sekulow said. "The First Amendment is the cornerstone of our constitution. And, the price of freedom means that sometimes you hear or see things you don’t agree with. That doesn’t mean the Supreme Court should censor the Pledge and remove the words ‘under God.’"

If adults would like to express their feeling on the issue, they may write to the Supreme Court, One First North East Street, Washington, D.C. 20543. Or they may contact the ACLJ through their Web site at www.aclj.org.