As
previously reported, a number of the petitions posted on the "We the People" section of the White House website relate to issues of religion and government. The White House promised to respond to any petition that gained 5000 signatures in 30 days. Now responses have been posted to several petitions.
Responding to the call to eliminate "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance and "In God We Trust" from U.S. currency, the White House Director of faith-based partnerships, Joshua DuBois, said:
A sense of proportion should also guide those who police the boundaries between church and state. Not every mention of God in public is a breach to the wall of separation - context matters.
That's why President Obama supports the use of the words "under God' in our Pledge of Allegiance and "In God we Trust' on our currency. These phrases represent the important role religion plays in American public life, while we continue to recognize and protect the rights of secular Americans.
In
another posting, the White House refused to comment on a petition calling for "an investigation into allegations of prosecutorial and judicial misconduct in the case of Sholom Rubashkin," the convicted Orthodox Jewish former vice president of the kosher meat processing firm, Agriprocesors, in Postville, Iowa. The White House said that:
The Department [of Justice] ... has mechanisms in place to investigate allegations of prosecutorial misconduct, including through its Office of Professional Responsibility. With respect to judicial ethics matters, the Judicial Conduct and Disability Act of 1980 vests primary responsibility for investigating and adjudicating claims of judicial misconduct with the Judicial Branch.
[Thanks to Scott Mange for the lead.]
