E Pluribus Unum
Yesterday I heard Garrison Keillor mention that it was the anniversary of President Eisenhower's signing of the law replacing the motto of the United States.
According to Wikipedia, the former motto of the United States, literally "out of many, one," has the following meaning:
"Originally suggesting that out of many colonies or states emerge a single nation, in recent years it has come to suggest that out of many peoples, races, religions and ancestries has emerged a single people and nation - illustrating the concept of the melting pot."
That sounds great, but we screwed that up in 1956 by changing the motto to "In God we trust." That was the post war, cold war era when everyone feared "godless communism." A lot of good that did. No one can agree on whose god we should trust, and now we are a polarized and fragmented society. The melting pot has given way to ethnic groups more loyal to their roots than the US, who don't even think it's necessary to learn the language or customs where they live, yet expect all the benefits. So much for "a single people and nation."
Just another argument for separation of church and state.
According to Wikipedia, the former motto of the United States, literally "out of many, one," has the following meaning:
"Originally suggesting that out of many colonies or states emerge a single nation, in recent years it has come to suggest that out of many peoples, races, religions and ancestries has emerged a single people and nation - illustrating the concept of the melting pot."
That sounds great, but we screwed that up in 1956 by changing the motto to "In God we trust." That was the post war, cold war era when everyone feared "godless communism." A lot of good that did. No one can agree on whose god we should trust, and now we are a polarized and fragmented society. The melting pot has given way to ethnic groups more loyal to their roots than the US, who don't even think it's necessary to learn the language or customs where they live, yet expect all the benefits. So much for "a single people and nation."
Just another argument for separation of church and state.