The Declaration of Independence: Censored

Principal Patricia Vidmar of Stevens Creek Elementary School, near San Francisco, has barred a fifth grade teacher from handing out copies of the Declaration of Independence and other historical documents to his students because of their references to God.

I just re-read the Declaration, and lo and behold, Principal Vidmar is right. Thomas Jefferson must have missed the Continental Congress's diversity training workshop, because right there in black and white are several objectionable phrases, which I have highlighted in the excerpts below.

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they areendowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among theseare Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
...

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

The Left has long sought to diminish the fact that our nation's founders appealed to a higher power when they set out to form a new nation. The truths of this nation's origins have become so inconvenient to them that they have used their power within the educational establishment to simply rewrite history to better accomodate their ideology.

I hope that the people of California will not allow this principal's asinine policy to stand. Principal Vidmar, whose surname seems oddly appropriate in this situation, should be ashamed. If the Reuters report is accurate (big if) and this is truly the outrage that it seems, the school district should take immediate and firm action to correct it.

The Stevens Creek Elementary School's telephone number is (408) 245-3312. Principal Vidmar can be reached at extension 110. Stevens Creek Elementary School is part of the Cupertino Union School District, which can be reached at (408) 252-3000. District Superintendent Bill Bragg can be reached via e-mail at mailto:bragg_bill@cupertino.k12.ca.us.