Editorial

Supreme Court decisions don't always make me smile. But two recent decisions did indeed bring a sense of satisfaction. Both involved Wisconsin-based organizations - and both focused on freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights contained in the U.S. Constitution.

As we celebrate July 4, our national day of independence, it seems appropriate to reflect on these two rulings. They also remind us that we must continue to make sure we protect our hard-won freedoms in this country.

Freedom of religion. One ruling involved the notorious Freedom From Religion Foundation based in Madison. Notice they capitalize the "From" in the name - emphasizing their belief in strict separation between church and state.

The name of the organization does not reflect what the Constitution really says. Amendment I does say: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . ."

Nowhere does it say freedom from religion.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation had argued against the use of federal funds for faith-based organizations. The Supreme Court countered that the foundation and three of its members as taxpayers did not have discernible personal harm to give them standing to challenge the Bush administration's use of federal funds for faith-based initiatives.

President George W. Bush established the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives in 2002. The program gives organizations run by religious groups equal footing with secular groups to obtain federal funding. This is especially targeted to programs which help the poor and needy. As we know, many Catholic charitable organizations provide much-needed outreach to all people in local communities, regardless of their religious beliefs.

Freedom of speech. The other Supreme Court decision involved two cases brought by Wisconsin Right to Life (WRL) against the Federal Election Commission (FEC). WRL objected to the FEC preventing the organization from airing advertisements asking people to phone Wisconsin's senators and urge them not to filibuster nominees for judicial posts. The FEC said the campaign financing law prohibits these ads from running within 30 days of a primary election or 60 days of a general election.

However, Chief Justice John Roberts said the commercials were not the same as campaign ads and therefore were not covered by the law, reported a Catholic News Service article. Justice Antonin Scalia also said he would have declared the provision of the law in question unconstitutional. "It is perhaps our most important constitutional task to assure freedom of political speech," Scalia wrote.

Continue defending freedom. It is indeed encouraging to see the Supreme Court defending freedom of religion and freedom of speech in these two rulings. Let's continue to pray for the justices of the Supreme Court that they will respect the Constitution and uphold the true freedoms established by the founders of our country.

Mary C. Uhler

Mailbag

	Mailbag policy We reserve the right to edit or reject letters. Limit letters to 200 words or less. All letters must be signed. Please include your city or town of residence. Send letters to: Mailbag The Catholic Herald 702 S. High Point Rd. Madison, WI 53719-3522 Fax: 608-821-3071 E-mail: info@madisoncatholicherald.org

There are no letters this week