----- Original Message ----- From: "andie nachgeborenen" <andie_nachgeborenen at yahoo.com>
> Changing gears, when the district court judge I clerked for swore in
witnesses, she always said, " Do you swear to tell the truth (etc.). . .
so help you God?" I pointed out that the Constitution permits a witness
to swear _or affirm_, and does not require reference to a divine being.
(This was a concession to the Quakers, who traditionally will not
swear.) She said, I'll make people ask for that. If you were to ask, it
would probably completely discredit you, of course, or having called
attention to the fact that you would not swear on God's name, at least
unless you made it clear that you had religious grounds for not
swearing. Me, I'm an atheist, but I'd swear.
> jks
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Wait 'til Michael Newdow hits third gear..........
Ian