CARLSON:   Welcome back to CROSSFIRE. Time for the most participatory part of the show, "Fireback," where you send your thoughts. We express them for you. First up - "Thank you, thank you for appointing judges that just ruled the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. You have just guaranteed a sweeping Republican victory in November," writes Harry Jones of Modesto. You're absolutely right. Ask Mike Dukakis, 1998. Remember him? Now teaching at some obscure school you never heard of. 
BEGALA:   This will be overturned before those kids go back to any school that anybody's heard of. "As I recall," writes Ryan Brown of Littleton, Colorado, "the phrase 'under God' was not in the original Pledge of Allegiance in the first place. It was added in the 1950s due to the 'communist threat.' Taking it back would only restore the pledge to its original form, would it not?" Shouldn't that be the conservative position, Tucker? 
CARLSON:   Let me just say, Paul, for the record...    In 1954, there really was a communist threat. Sorry to blow your mind here. 
BEGALA:   And we got them by changing the Pledge of Allegiance. 
CARLSON:   No, we didn't. No, but I'm just saying that everything done in the '50s was wrong because of McCarthyism? It's ludicrous. "My sister and her husband are atheists -- " what are their names, by the way - "They pay tax money, too. Why should God be forced on their children in school? If you want your children to learn about God, why can't you teach them at home and church," writes Karen from South Carolina.  Learn about God? "One nation under God," that's a theology lesson now? That's learning about God? Come on. 
BEGALA:   I love this one. A Republican Congressman says, "What do we tell the children? They did that during the impeachment. What would we tell the children? 
CARLSON:   It was a real question, by the way. 
BEGALA:   Don't worry, but when their first wives have the children, they'll be telling them themselves. "I am outraged," writes Nancy in Northbridge, Massachusetts. "Who are these judges anyway? I will continue to add 'One nation under God' no matter what they say. The majority of citizens in this country are God-fearing people. I am shocked." 
CARLSON:   Amen, Nancy. All right, and some questions from the audience. Yes, sir. 
UNIDENTIFIED MALE:   Yes, Ed Agleman (ph), Charlottesville, Virginia. I'm speaking in supportive of the judicial decision. The question I pose is -- how can anyone deny that the pledge, as it currently stands, stating "under God" does not foster a particular religion? Why not state "under gods" if one wants to include those people who might believe in many Gods? 
CARLSON:   Look, the question is not does it make people uncomfortable. The question is not does it endorse religion. The question is does it work for establishing a religion as prohibited by the First Amendment and it clearly doesn't. So from a constitutional point of view, it's fine. It may make you uncomfortable. 
BEGALA:   It's all just a right-wing attempt to try to raise money and raise people's fears. 
CARLSON:   That's a lie. 
BEGALA:   Yes ma'am. 
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE:   Hi, my name's Ashley Marshall (ph). I'm from Little Rock, Arkansas and I'll be a senior at Baylor. I just wanted to say I think it's a sad thing when we choose not to teach children in this country respect for the country and patriotism. The Pledge of Allegiance is part of this nation's culture and spirit and I think it's a very sad thing. 
CARLSON:   Of course, it is, but... 
BEGALA:   Well now, Ashley (ph), you know that even in the nine states and the island of Guam that are covered by this ruling. Baylor is not in our former state of Texas. But the nine states and Guam, they can still say the Pledge of Allegiance, they just can't use the phrase, "under God." And again, if you're worried about it, believe me, it's going to be overturned... 
CARLSON:   But the idea that a court...    ... telling children the words they can and cannot utter in a classroom is horrifying and I hope everyone is frightened by it. 
BEGALA:   So don't put any more Republican judges on there because that's who wrote this opinion. 
CARLSON:   It's scary. Yes. 
BEGALA:   Yes, sir. 
UNIDENTIFIED MALE:   I'm Russell Tanguay (ph) from Cromwell, Connecticut. How do the courts have a right to declare the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional, as we -- as Americans are given freedoms of choice and speech? Why can't it be up to the individual whether or not they want to say it? 
CARLSON:   That's a great -- that's a question you ought to ask the court of appeals in San Francisco. Of course you have freedom of speech, and it's eroded by this undue emphasis on people's sensibilities. When you want to hurt somebody's feelings, they take your right of freedom of speech away. 
BEGALA:   All of sudden now, the right is for freedom of speech. Yes, sir. Well, we got no more time. I'm sorry to cut you off, sir. From the left, I am Paul Begala, good night from CROSSFIRE. 
CARLSON:   From the right, I am Tucker Carlson. Join us again tomorrow night for yet another edition of CROSSFIRE. "CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT" begins immediately after a CNN "News Alert."
