Op-Ed Articles Respond to Bush's Faith-Based Initiative

February 11, 2001

Source: Los Angeles Times

On February 11, 2001, the Los Angeles Times published an op-ed piece by Judith F. Daar, a professor of law at Whittier Law School in, Costa Mesa, California, in which she criticized Bush's new faith-based initiative. She sees a trend in the Bush administration of disregarding the First Amendment regarding the separation of church and state. "From the multiple utterances of God and Jesus in the inaugural ceremonies to removing funding for international family planning organizations, we have seen President Bush's own faith dictate the direction of our nation's public policy." Plus, "there is reason for concern that those whose faith, or lack thereof, strays from that embraced by the administration will face excommunication from the political ranks."