Myofascial Trigger Points can entrap the nerves, blood, and lymph vessels, causing a variety of symptoms that confuse doctors and patients alike. Often nerve damage is erroneously suspected, and many expensive, unnecessary (and often painful) tests are ordered.

Trigger Points are formed of multiple microscopic areas called active loci (pronounced low-sigh). These loci cause the segments of the muscle fibers, called sarcomeres, to become distorted. Eventually, a contraction knot forms, as well as a taut band. When you have Trigger Points, your muscle strength becomes unreliable. You may also notice that when one part of your body is supported by another part while you are sleeping, the part being compressed goes numb.

Some other symptoms of Trigger Points include the following:

• Stiffness
• muscle tightness and weakness
• localized sweating
• eye tearing
• copious salivation
• poor balance
• dizziness
• nausea
• tinnitus
• goose bumps
• runny nose
• buckling knees
• weak ankles
• illegible handwriting
• staggering gait
• headaches
• muscle cramps

Most specific pains called fibromyalgia are actually caused by Trigger Points. Trigger Points seem to form throughout life as a response to the many things that happen to our bodies. They can be caused by a variety of events ranging from a surgical incision, overuse, repetitive motion trauma, bruises, strains, joint problems, and so forth. Many of the aches and pains attributed to “old age” may actually be due to Trigger Points, and may be reversible.

Dizziness, ringing of the ears, loss of balance, and other symptoms can all be caused by Trigger Points in the side of the neck, in the muscle group called the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) complex. This muscle group performs many functions, one of which is to hold up the head. Receptors in the SCM complex transmit nerve impulses to inform the brain of the position of the head and body in the surrounding space. When there are Trigger Points present, the receptors lie. What they tell the brain is not what the eyes tell the brain. When head movement changes the SCM message (when you turn around or look up or down) you get dizzy. This, coupled with poor balance, can make it seem as if the walls are tilting. When people with SCM Trigger Points drive, we get the impression that we “bank” our turns at a steep angle, as if we were driving a motorcycle. Also, Trigger Points associated with the SCM muscle group can cause patterns of light and dark, such as tree shadows on a road, to create an almost seizure-like phenomenon. Looking at certain printed fabrics, such as plaids, stripes, and polka dots, can make us dizzy.

Trigger Points often form as a result of other medical conditions. For example, a case of arthritis might be otherwise well managed, but the accompanying Trigger Points might be completely overlooked. That patient’s pain load could be substantially lessened if the secondary Trigger Points were treated successfully. Diagnosis really becomes challenging when body wide Trigger Points develop with overlapping referral zones. This “spread” of Trigger Points gives the impression that the condition is progressive, but it isn’t. It may be getting steadily worse, but with proper attention to perpetuating factors and appropriate treatment, the “progression” can be reversed.

Sometimes the Trigger Point is inside the pain pattern, and sometimes the pain pattern occurs elsewhere. Each specific Trigger Point on the body has a referred pain or other symptom pattern that has been carefully observed and documented in many patients. This pain pattern is similar from patient to patient. Active Trigger Points often produce other symptoms, also usually in their referred pain zones. Such a Trigger Point hurts whenever you use the muscle involved. When the point becomes very active, pain and other symptoms result, even when the muscle is at rest. A latent Trigger Point doesn’t hurt at all unless it is pressed. It restricts movement, and weakens and prevents full lengthening of the affected muscle. If you press on a latent Trigger Point, it will refer pain in its characteristic pattern. A latent Trigger Point may be activated by overstretching, overuse, or chilling the muscle.

If Trigger Points are treated immediately and vigorously, and perpetuating factors (conditions that aggravate and perpetuate the Trigger Points) are avoided or remedied, the Trigger Points can be eliminated. If the muscle is pushed to work in spite of the pain, especially if perpetuating factors exist, active Trigger Points may develop secondary and satellite Trigger Points.

Trigger points are discrete, focal, hyperirritable spots located in a taut band of skeletal muscle. They produce pain locally and in a referred pattern and often accompany chronic musculoskeletal disorders. Acute trauma or repetitive microtrauma may lead to the development of stress on muscle fibers and the formation of trigger points. Patients may have regional, persistent pain resulting in a decreased range of motion in the affected muscles. These include muscles used to maintain body posture, such as those in the neck, shoulders, and pelvic girdle. Trigger points may also manifest as tension headache, tinnitus, temporomandibular joint pain, decreased range of motion in the legs, and low back pain. Palpation of a hypersensitive bundle or nodule of muscle fiber of harder than normal consistency is the physical finding typically associated with a trigger point. Palpation of the trigger point will elicit pain directly over the affected area and/or cause radiation of pain toward a zone of reference and a local twitch response.

The difficulty with trigger points is that they refer pain. This displacement of pain is what throws everybody off, including most doctors. It’s why pain is so often misdiagnosed and so often treated with painkillers–the shotgun approach. Pain is a message that something’s wrong and needs your attention. Is it good medicine to kill the messenger and ignore the message?

Trigger Point Therapy was pioneered and developed in this country by Dr. Janet Travell, President John F. Kennedy’s personal physician during his years of persistent back pain. Today it is commonly referred to as Neuromuscular Therapy.

Trigger points are accumulations of waste products around a nerve receptor. Often times they feel like nodules or taut bands of fibers within the soft tissues. Trigger points form in muscles which have been overused or injured due to an accident or surgery. Common characteristics are increased muscle tension and muscle shortening. Increased muscle tension is the primary side-effect of trigger points and pain is the most common secondary effect. Trigger points can present themselves as referred patterns of sensation such as sharp pain, dull ache, tingling, pins and needles, hot or cold, as well as can create symptoms such as nausea, ear ache, equilibrium disturbance, or blurred vision.

Trigger points can exist in two states, either active or latent. Active trigger points are those which cause discomfort. Latent trigger points wait silently in the muscle for a future stress to activate them. Aches and pains which began in the past become more frequent and severe in intensity as we age. It is common to attribute this discomfort to arthritis instead of our tight muscles which harbor trigger points.

Trigger points are not visible with traditional medical testing such as MRI or X-ray. 80 % of the trigger point locations are common with acupuncture treatment locations. When trigger points are not treated, they will create satellite trigger points in the affected area. For instance, a trigger point in the trapezius may cause a trigger point to appear in the temple. The trigger point in the temple then may cause a trigger point to appear in the jaw. And, voilà! - a case of TMJ.

To diffuse a trigger point, static compression (pressure) is applied for 10 seconds, released, then pressure applied for 10 more seconds in a pumping action while the client breathes deeply. This action flushes the toxins and calms the nerves. (see pictures on right showing treatment of a stiff neck and as part of a Sports Massage for a runner). Releasing trigger points releases endorphins so the result is elimination of discomfort as well as being energized.

Trigger point massage is not a relaxing, “fluff and buff” technique. It requires the participation of the client to communicate the presence and intensity of pain and discomfort. The therapist and client work together as a team to maximize the effectiveness of the treatment.

It is common to find great improvement after one treatment. Repeated treatment may be necessary for those with chronic trigger points. Stretching should be done as “home work” to encourage the muscles that have been treated to stay in a lengthened position.

Trigger point research lists nutritional deficiencies or inadequacies as “perpetuating factors.” A good multi-vitamin supplement that is high in anti-oxidants and is in an encapsulated form can help ensure that once treated, trigger points do not reform. Robb* recommends Twinlab’s MaxiLife or for those over 40, MaxiLife CoQ10 formula to be taken: one capsule up to four times per day, since the water-soluble nutrients which are critical to normal muscle function (e.g. Vitamin C and B-Complex) can only stay at a peak level in the blood stream from 4 to 6 hours.

Trigger Point Therapy is a subset of neuromuscular therapy which examines and treats muscles and muscle attachments in layers from superficial to deep, ligaments and connective tissues. More about neuromuscular therapy will be presented in a future article.

Trigger Point Therapy may be the answer.  it is a type of massage therapy which examines and treats muscles and muscle attachments in layers.  It addresses surface muscles  and connective tissues and deeper ligaments and connective tissues. It is closely aligned with the eastern technique of acupressure massage. The treatment techniques are very similar, the guidelines for applying acupressure apply to most Trigger Point Release applications.

Trigger point is a pain-relief techniques to alleviate muscle spasms and cramping. The therapist locates and deactivates `trigger points’, which are often tender areas where muscles have been damaged or acquired a re-occurring spasm or `kink’ that worsens painfully when aggravated. The major goals are to reduce spasm inducing new blood flow into the affected area. The spasms are partly maintained by nervous system feedback (pain-spasm-pain) cycle.

Spasms also physically reduce blood flow to the trigger point area (ischemia), reducing oxygen supplied to the tissues and increasing the spasm. Pressure is applied to trigger points, for a short time (between about 7 to 10 seconds per point), which can be momentarily painful but is greatly relieving.

It is common to hit the same trigger points several times during a session, but you won’t be leaning into a sore spot for several minutes. Often ice or another cooling agent is used to reduce nervous system response, making the area easier and more comfortable to work. Then the muscles are gently stretched to complete the relaxation process.

Trigger points are clustered areas of pain in or around muscles that usually radiate pain in a predictable pattern. When a muscle, or group of muscles, incurs injury, it automatically contracts around the painful site to support and protect the area. If pain is resolved quickly, the muscles can relax. If pain persists, muscles can become habitually contracted. Sometimes contractions press on nerves causing tingling, numbness, and more pain. Like a sponge that is squeezed, a contracted muscle can’t hold much blood. Blood transports oxygen and nutrients to the muscles and carries away waste products. When a muscle is deprived of healthy circulation, it doesn’t receive enough oxygen and nutrients, and waste products accumulate. This can result in fatigue and soreness. It can also irritate nerves in the area, causing pain to spread beyond the congested area.

Trigger point therapy is a bodywork technique that involves the applying of pressure to tender muscle tissue in order to relieve pain and dysfunction in other parts of the body. Sometimes massage and trigger point therapy are performed together.

Trigger point therapy is also called myofascial trigger point therapy. It was developed by Dr. Janet Travell in the United States in the 1940s.

Trigger points have several causes. Some common causes are: birth trauma, an injury sustained in a fall or accident, poor posture, or overexertion.

The purpose of trigger point therapy is to eliminate pain and to re-educate the muscles into pain-free habits. After several treatments, the swelling and stiffness of neuromuscular pain is reduced, range of motion is increased, tension is relieved, and circulation, flexibility and coordination are improved.

This time of year, most people think of cookies, pumpkin pie, lights, Christmas trees, and even snow. But most people probably try not to think about diets until January (the month with the most new gym memberships). But instead of focusing on loosing weight after the holidays, you can keep your weight at bay and even loose weight now instead of gaining an extra 10 pounds this year so you can take it off next year. 

But what diets work and what don’t? Any diet under 1,200 calories is considered a starvation diet. These diets are never a good idea because all you loose is muscle and you will put the weight right back on. Adding muscle is much more efficient for your body to loose weight than loosing it. Muscle actually helps speed up your metabolism. Why do you think men have an easier time loosing weight than women?

What about a low carb diet? That can work for a short time. Many people loose weight by going on these types of diets. But, these diets are starter diets, meaning it’s good to use them to help you start loosing weight, but they are not good for your body in the long run. Your body needs nutrients that you are not getting on a low carb diet.

The best diets are lifestyle diets. This is a combination of eating fewer calories and exercising at least 3 or more times a week. On this diet, you may not loose as much weight in the beginning as the low carb diet, but you can end up loosing much more weight because this is a lifestyle change not just a quick fix. It’s a habit you need to develop for the rest of your life.

So how do you get started? Take your body weight and multiple it by 10. This is the number of calories your body needs to maintain your weight. So, how many calories should you be consuming if you want to loose weight? Multiple your goal weight by 10. That is the number of calories you should be consuming. But remember, never consume less than 1,200 calories. It doesn’t matter where these calories come from, try not to eat more than what you calculated. It is better to eat healthy because it will give your body more energy. Next comes exercise. I know, probably not what is on your mind, but all you have to do is burn 500 extra calories a week in exercise to loose weight. You can walk, do yoga, ride a bike, run, do weight-bearing exercises, and even housework or yard-work. 

What if you wanted to eat all that turkey and the trimmings, or the Christmas cookies? You can do that, but in moderation. Just remember that each cookie usually can contain 100 calories or more. And an average slice of pumpkin pie has around 240 calories. So you can have one of everything, but the next day cut back where you can. It’s o.k. to splurge once in a while; just don’t do it all the time.

Is someone a racist if they perform a racist act? First of all, I need to define what a racist act is. A racist act is basically discriminating against someone because of their race. For example, if I were walking down a sidewalk at night and turned the other direction when I saw a couple of young black men because I was afraid, I would be discriminating against young black men. I might do this because I know that a majority of crimes are committed by young black males. Would this action make me a racist?

I do not consider myself a racist, and I don’t believe that people are racist just because they might discriminate. I think we just need to listen to our intuition and not worry about being called a racist. It’s more important to stay alive than to worry about people calling you names. In fact, almost all people in some way discriminate against others. And those people who criticize others for discriminating are being hypocritical. I’m not saying people are not racist. Some people truly are racist. They believe that they are superior to other races. These are the people who base their decisions on race and not intuition.

I was watching an episode of Oprah when she had the cast of “Crash” on. She had an expert on who said that crimes are usually intra-racial. Meaning that a black criminal is more likely to commit a crime against another black person and so on. I hope this is a relief to some people. I would still use my instincts to protect myself though. As long as you do this, you are not a racist. I don’t hate other races, but I will be cautious when I’m by myself in a dark street.

If you haven’t seen Crash, I would recommend it. Oprah recommends it as well. It shows us how we tend to treat other people in a country where being an American is not about being one race. It shows how hard it is to get along with all different kinds of Americans and live peacefully together. You can’t change a behavior if you don’t see what’s wrong.

You have to swear to tell the truth in court, and the bible says “thou shall not lie”. I have this vague idea of what the truth means. Sometimes it’s about finding out what happened or finding “facts” about something. Sometimes it means not telling a lie. Is it true that I spent $50 on a book, or is it true that the book is made of paper? Both answers are true because the meaning of what is true is different. In an argument both must be present because sometimes the truth will not convince your audience of something. You also need to persuade them to believe you. Actually, persuasion and truth are inseparable. You can’t have one without the other in an argument. If I were to try and persuade someone that the grass was green (say they didn’t know) just by using the art of persuasion, I don’t think they would believe me. But, if I use scientific fact for “why” the grass is green, my argument becomes more convincing. On the other hand, I can’t just use fact and not use any sort of persuasion either. If I say that I can prove that God exists scientifically, that doesn’t mean that people are necessarily going to believe that really does exist. They still may question my scientific evidence. So, I need to use persuasion to help strength my facts. I like the example in the book about Socrates versus the Sophists. Socrates seems like a very good man and very honorable, but he ends up loosing arguments because he is not being persuasive. The people who are truth seekers are on the right tract. They are usually honorable and fighting for the people. However, they won’t always convince people that what they are saying and fighting for is necessary enough to benefit the whole as a society. The opposite people; the ones who persuade people without seeking the truth, are also known as car salesmen. Maybe even salesmen in general. It is there job to convince people to buy a certain product by any means. These people are like the Sophists. I think these types of people are not honorable and are just looking to make money. The only person that could argue in a way to convince more people is the one who uses both truth and persuasion in his or her arguments.

Arguments can either be a resourceful way of stating your point of view, or they can turn into a harsh, bitter debate that ends in verbal fighting. Arguments can be both good and bad depending on how they are stated. Whether you are talking to someone or writing to them, the way you state your opinion will have a tremendous affect on the way others will respond.

I believe argumentation is an act of communication in which writers create common ground with readers who may have very good reasons for disagreeing with them; however, I also believe some writers may use argumentation for the purposes of aggression. Most writers try to convey a purpose in their writing; that purpose is usually to state an opinion. Sometimes the purpose is to entertain or share an experience, but I am mostly speaking about essay writers. When a writer states his or her opinion with supporting facts, the composition becomes a new way for disagreeing readers to understand why they believe what they believe.

The way you state your opinion becomes the more important issue. Using YOU and other personal language that attacks the reader will only anger them. The way to express your opinions in a non-threatening way is to state your arguments based on supporting facts and avoid personal attacking language.

The pledge of allegiance does not harm anyone and therefore should not be changed, altered, or destroyed. Michael Newdow claimed his Christian daughter was harmed by listening to her classmates recite the pledge. He is not even suing the court for his daughter. His motivation is purely selfish. He is suing because he is an atheist and feels left out because the pledge says �under God�. Even if I were to throw out Newdow’s case and forget his motivations, I still think the pledge is not unconstitutional like the Ninth circuit court believes. First, I used the same three tests that they used to determine the pledge unconstitutional. I analyzed these tests and believe the pledge to be constitutional because they do not violate the tests. I have sources to back up my position on this. But even if the pledge did violate the three tests, these tests can be flawed and should not be the only way to determine if the pledge is unconsitutional or not. Second, we need to determine if getting rid of the pledge is the best thing for our country. I don’t think it is. The pledge does more good than harm. It’s one of the few ways children can express their patriotism. How else are they going to express it? During baseball games when they sing the national anthem? When children learn it in school, it’s more credible to them. No harm has ever come from saying the pledge. I could not find a single person who was scarred for life by having to listen to other children say “under God.” Parents may want their children to believe what they believe, but that doesn’t always happen. Children are going to grow up and be their own person, and parents need to accept that. I think this world would be a better place if children said God’s name versus children growing up to be like Michael Newdow, who continues to challenge the U.S. Government. How is believing in a higher power going to harm children? I think if children believed in something better than themselves, we just might have a better world.

The American public doesn’t always believe that every civic issue will affect them. The Pledge of Allegiance is a perfect example. Some people may argue that the Pledge only affects school-age children and their families because the Pledge is recited in public schools. I took these statements into account when deciding my audience.

First, this issue is a popular and controversial subject that would best fit in Time magazine, a national newspaper, or in some other popular periodical. My audience is a diverse group of people very similar to how American society is today. So, I wanted to use the classical argument style that would appeal to decided, undecided, and opposing audiences. I think a majority of my audience will side with my argument that the Pledge should not be declared unconstitutional because I think most people see the ridiculous argument against the Pledge. Most of these people, however, are not very educated on the legality of the case. These people will use more of their emotions and belief in God to confirm that their position is correct. I am using pathos to appeal even further to their emotions. To appeal to the undecided audience, I am using facts about the case and showing how the opposing arguments rely on false and inaccurate assumptions. By proving that the word God can mean many things to different people, I hope to convince the opposing audience that the Pledge is not a way to promote religion but rather a way to promote the principles America stands for. I hope to explain how the Pledge is actually a part of everyone’s own personal beliefs and values rather then trying to convince people that mine are superior. Once my audience understands that, they will realize that their values are already part of the Pledge.

I started my argument with an appeal to pathos by trying to convince my audience of how ridiculous it is to spend so much time and effort on a school issue like the Pledge rather then on more important topics we can try to prevent like gun violence and adult profanity. This introduction will probably help convince my undecided audience, and I reinforce this point during the conclusion to hopefully convince my opposing audience that we should focus more on issues that affect our children’s safety rather then trivial issues.

The body of my paper introduces two main argument points. My first argument tires to convince my audience that the Pledge does not promote religion, only patriotism. I wanted to show how the words “under God” were added to show how the United States allows its people to have the freedom to choose and worship any religion they want. The opposing audience probably doesn’t realize the significance of the Act of 1954; they just see it as a way to oppress non-Christians. I hope to show my opposing audience that this isn’t the case by comparing our country to a communist country that doesn’t allow their people to establish any religion.

My second main argument shows how the three tests the Ninth Circuit Court used to determine the Pledge unconstitutional were inaccurate and too subjective to prove that the Act of 1954 violated the constitution. I break down each test and prove that each one is too subjective to base the entire Pledge case on these tests. The opposing audience may not agree with my opinion on these tests, which was the most challenging part of my argument, but I wanted to show how these tests (even if just slightly inaccurate) could not prove that the entire Pledge should be eliminated from our public schools. In my argument, I suggest that we analyze the Act of 1954 by other means besides these three tests, like using common sense and historical content.

I think my multiple audiences will see my objective view as a way to improve their knowledge on the subject and analyze for themselves what the Pledge means to them. We live in a country where we are allowed to think for ourselves and question what we are taught. People need to take advantage of this freedom and learn all they can about civic issues that affect our country before they place judgment on a particular issue they think they know all about.

Children are exposed to harmful things everyday; television with adult themes, violent video games, and strong language in music. Now just imagine what children are exposed to in public schools. They have to deal with school violence, name-calling, adult issues, and even the Pledge of Allegiance. Yes, children are exposed to harmful, life-altering issues like the Pledge, at least according to Michael Newdow. The California native and devout atheist filed a lawsuit against his 8-year-old daughter’s school district because he claimed that his daughter was harmed by having to listen to children around her reciting the Pledge because it contained the words “under God”. His original lawsuit was appealed to the Supreme Court, who declared that Newdow had no standing to file the suit because he did not have custody of his daughter (”The Religious Affiliation of Michael Newdow”, 1). So, the Supreme Court dismissed his case. Newdow then found other families that were willing to sue the school district. In 2002, Newdow’s case gained popularity after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals declared the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional (Elk Grove Unified School District v. Michael A. Newdow). Now, the Supreme Court may have to decide the fate of the Pledge. I believe the Supreme Court will end up overturning the Ninth Circuit Court’s Pledge decision because the Pledge does not promote religion and lacked proof that any child has been harmed by the Pledge. I will first begin by analyzing why the Pledge does not promote religion and therefore does not violate the constitution, and I will show that the Pledge was determined to be unconstitutional based on inconclusive tests.

First of all, the Pledge is not unconstitutional because it does not promote religion. Many people opposed to the Pledge believe that the words “under God” promote monotheism, which is the belief in one god. But, the word God actually represents different things to different people. God could mean one god, many gods, or no god; as in Newdow’s case (Baker, 3). Opponents also believe that the Pledge promotes religion. “The Pledge of Allegiance no more endorses religion than does the dollar bill, on which the words ‘In God We Trust’ appears” (Yannella, 79). The context of the words mean more than the words do by themselves, and we need to look at how the historical influences affected the Pledge’s wording. The original words to the Pledge did not include “under God”. President Eisenhower added these words under the Act of 1954 in the middle of the Cold War when the United States was trying to fight off Communism, which doesn’t allow the practice of religion according to the Communist Manifesto (Russo, 23). Eisenhower created this act to show how the United States gives its people freedom of religion. In the Pledge, Eisenhower wanted to convey a message to the United States and other countries that we believe in choosing and worshiping whatever religion we want. The intent was not to promote any specific type of religion. “[...] congressional sponsors of the act disclaimed any religious purpose, distinguishing between religion as an institution and a belief in the sovereignty of God’” (Russo, 23). I think when Eisenhower wanted to get his message across he tried to find the best word to represent all religious affiliations.

Second, the three tests used to determine that the Pledge is unconstitutional are inconclusive. The Ninth Circuit Court used three tests to analyze the Act of 1954: The Lemon test, the endorsement test, and the coercion test. I will give a brief description of each test and prove that these tests are too inaccurate to be the deciding factor for whether the Pledge does or does not violate the constitution.

“The purpose of the Lemon test is to determine when a law has the effect of establishing religion” (Allison, 1). If a law does not violate the constitution, then it will pass all three parts outlined: First, it must have a secular legislative purpose. Second, the primary effect must not advance nor inhibit religion. Third, the law must not foster an excessive government entanglement with religion (Allison, 1). This whole test is subjective, which basically means that each person who uses this test may come up with a different result. For instance, I could look at the Pledge and say that it does have a secular legislative purpose because it promotes patriotism in schools; that’s why it was created. But, if I just look at the words “under God”, I may determine that it does have more of a religious purpose. For the second statute, if I looked at the entire Pledge I would say that it does not advance nor inhibit religion. Like I said before, the Pledge was created to promote patriotism. But if I look at those two little words inside the Pledge, I could see how some people may feel that God could mean that we are discriminating against atheists or other multi-god religions. And for the last statute, if I were to take a look at the Pledge as a whole, I would determine that it doesn’t foster an excessive government entanglement with religion. But looking at just those two words, I could see how it may foster some sort of entanglement with religion.

The endorsement test was created by retired justice Sandra O’Connor, which basically states that if a practice conveys a message of endorsement or disapproval to another party, it should be invalid (Russo, 25). This test is also highly subjective. First, we would need to prove that the Pledge is endorsing or disapproving of anything. The only thing the Pledge endorses is patriotism, which is not reasonable enough to declare it unconstitutional. Even the words “under God” do not endorse or promote religion, like I had previously addressed. These words do not disapprove of any other religious affiliation just because God is used instead of Gods or no God.

The coercion test determines if a practice tries to coerce people to participate (Yannella, 84). When the Pledge was first created, all children in public school had to recite the Pledge. But, in 1943 the United States no longer required children to recite the Pledge (West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette). As for the words “under God”, if these words do not promote religion, how can they coerce people into a certain religion? When I see the word God, I don’t feel like I’m being forced to believe in monotheism or any particular type of religion. Just like the other two tests, this test is highly subjective and maybe someone else may feel like seeing or hearing the word God is coercing them to believe in one God. These three tests can be used to determine if a law is unconstitutional, but because these tests are subjective, we need to integrate common sense in the decision-making process. Because the Ninth Circuit was only analyzing the Act of 1954 and not the entire Pledge, they cannot determine that the entire Pledge is unconstitutional. We can’t just wipe out a piece of our American history because two words in the Pledge were determined to be unconstitutional by three subjective tests.

The Pledge of Allegiance is controversial because children recite it in publicly funded schools, which means we are all paying for its existence. Children are basically our investment for the future, and we need to educate them so they can change the world for the better. I’d rather see the world full of patriotic adult men and women that believe in a higher power than have adults who have hate and anger issues because they were victimized at school. I think we need to focus on real issues that could harm our children rather than finding ways to eliminate any and all religious connotations in public schools. By removing all hints and signs of God in our schools, we are teaching our children that oppressing someone’s religion is acceptable, which defeats Eisenhower’s purpose and contradicts our freedom of religion.

Works Cited
Allison, Jim. “The Lemon Test.” Separation of Church and State Home Page. 29 Sept. 2005.
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/tnppage/eclause2.htm.

Baker, Misty. “Keeping ‘Under God’ in the Pledge of Allegiance.” Buena Vista University, 2004. 24 Sept. 2005.
http://web.bvu.edu/students/bakemis/Baker%20Project%202b.pdf.

Elk Grove Unified School District v. Michael A. Newdow 02-1624 U.S. 2003. FindLaw. 29 Sept. 2005.
http://supreme.lp.findlaw.com/supreme_court/briefs/02-1624/021624.mer.pet.rep.pdf.

Russo, Charles J. “The Pledge of Allegiance: Patriotic Duty or Unconstitutional Establishment of Religion?” School Business Affairs July/Aug. (2003):22-27. 24 Sept. 2005.
http://asbointl.org/WhatsNew/SchoolBusinessAffairs/index.asp?bid=2873.

“The Religious Affiliation of Michael Newdow.” 24 Sept. 2005.
http://www.adherents.com/people/pn/Michael_Newdow.html.

West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette. 319 U.S. 624. 1943. FindLaw for Legal Professionals. 29 Sept. 2005.
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&vol=319&invol=624.

Yannella, Philip N. “Stuck in the Web of Formalism: Why Reversing the Ninth Circuit’s Ruling on the Pledge of Allegiance Won’t Be So Easy.” Temple Political & Civil Rights Law Review.12.1 (2002): 79-94. 24 Sept. 2005.
http://www.dechert.com/library/Pledge_of_Allegiance_Yannella-02.PDF.

The Pledge of Allegiance issue has been dramatized in the news. The hype has gotten people to think about what how much religious words and connotations our government should support. After the research I have done on this topic, I am beginning to see the real reason behind this whole argument. I think people tend to fight over an issue because they have a difference in opinions and beliefs. I don’t see a real threat or harm that can come from saying the pledge in schools. Reciting the pledge will not physically harm you. It won’t even emotionally scar you. Our whole society today is being crammed with needless words or sayings or even pictures and images that we become numb to everything around us.

I don’t think most of us really stop to look at what is around us or what is being said around us to the point that we are analyzing every word. I think with any issue, we need to find a compromising approach to deal with this kind of issue. We need to find what we value together as a society. We need to work with what we all believe. Unfortunately, none of my sources really focuses on this point. The scholarly journals analyze the court documents and try to give reasons why the Supreme Court should vote for the pledge. Many of them are very practical in the fact that they know it will be difficult for the Court to rule in their favor, so they give their opinions on what they think the Court will need to do to have the judges agree. Some go into detail on each individual justice. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has just changed a couple of seats, and these journals are not out of date. These journals probably make stronger points then other online or other sources because they use documents to back up their facts. They also use their own expertise in the field to analyze their position. But the most convincing arguments for me include common sense to all of these documents and facts. I think people need to consider other ways of analyzing arguments besides just looking at facts. Sometimes common sense isn’t so common in arguments. I don’t even think lawyers use common sense too often. They mostly try to convince people through facts and evidence.

We can’t base every argument on facts alone. The facts should just back up what we are saying or trying to convey. We need to rely on what should be or what ought to be, especially when we are dealing with human lives. People are made up of more than just cells and tissue; we are humans with feelings and emotions. We have a soul that cannot be explained with science. Even philosophers know that we cannot base everything on what we can prove with evidence. Some things just exist. I really don’t know why Mr. Newdow challenged his daughter’s school district. I think his motivation is a personal belief. I think he wants to fight for the purpose and not just the cause. Sometimes, that’s all the motivation someone needs. So, I’m going to focus on the overall issue, but I’m not going to forget the reasons behind what these people are fighting for. The only question I really had was why? But only Mr. Newdow can answer that. I started out by examining what I believed.

I discovered reasons for my beliefs, which I know won’t change. But I have changed the way I look at the entire issue. I have changed the value of the issue by seeing it for what is truly is; a difference in beliefs. I have changed what I had assumed the issue was all about. I still need to find out what position I want to take on this issue and how I will argue that, but I have discovered more to this argument then just two opposing sides. Every argument is more than just two different views; it’s two different motivations and two different purposes.