“Ridiculous.”

“Absolutely ridiculous.”

“Outrageous.”

That’s just a sampling of the printable reactions from Selma residents to a federal appeals court ruling this week that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional because it contains the words “one nation under God.”

The ruling was handed down by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, whose jurisdiction covers nine Western states. The judge who wrote the opinion put his ruling on hold indefinitely Thursday following a nationwide outcry of protest. If allowed to stand, the ruling would have meant that schoolchildren in those states would no longer be allowed to recite the pledge.

And that, according to Ed Hagemann Sr. and the regulars over at the Pancake House restaurant, is just about the stupidest ruling — in a long line of stupid rulings — ever to come out of this nation’s legal system.

“I think it’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” fumed Hagemann. “I think it’s just a shame these people are appointed to be judges for life and then, once they get in office, hand down rulings such as this. I think they ought to be taken out behind the courthouse and dealt with in a very firm manner. Then I think we ought to impeach ’em and let ’em get out and find a job like everybody else.”

Hagemann said the sentiment among his regular customers was running solidly against the ruling. “We’ve been talking about it all morning,” he grumbled. “The reaction is terrible, just terrible. Nobody is in favor of it.

“We were raised on this pledge. It needs to stay the way it is.”

Frank Ikerman Jr., commander-elect of American Legion Post 20 in Selma, was slightly more restrained in his comments.

“We are very disappointed in the ruling by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and consider it an affront to the very fabric of our country,” Ikerman said. “If allowed to stand, it could present problems in other areas with reference to a deity.”

The national office of the American Legion, whose motto is “For God and Country,” pointed out that if the word “God” makes the pledge unconstitutional, then so is the nation’s currency, which bears the statement “In God We Trust.”

Added Ikerman, “It is our belief the ruling will be overturned by the Supreme Court. If not, Congress has the moral obligation to remedy the situation with a constitutional amendment.”

James G. Smith, Post 20’s sergeant-at-arms, allowed himself to be a bit more free in expressing his feelings.

“It’s just absolutely outrageous,” said Smith. “I don’t know how they came about this decision. I think everybody in this country has the right to speak their peace, but we’ve gotten to the point that we can’t have God in anything anymore.”

That sentiment would likely elicit a hardy “amen” from Tom McLemore, minister at Houston Park Church of Christ. McLemore said the ruling was generating a great deal of reaction among church members there.

“I think it’s representative of the trend in our society today of a small minority trying to rule the roost and dictate what the majority can and can’t do,” he said.

Still, McLemore said he was urging his flock to keep the whole brouhaha in perspective.

“These kinds of trends are to be expected,” he said philosophically. “It provides for us a test of our faith, whether we’re going to go along with what’s politically correct or whether we’re going to stand for what we believe in.”

Dr. Stephen Morgan, principal at Meadowview Christian School, labeled judicial efforts to cleanse public functions of all religious references misguided at best and historically unfounded.

“When the Continental Congress met to draw up the Constitution,” Morgan said, “I think there were 56 of them. Twenty-three of those were ministers of the gospel and they had prayer before they started — and they prayed for three hours.

“Somewhere along the line we’ve gotten a little confused about what is and what ought to be in this country.”

Students at Meadowview not only recite the Pledge of Allegiance each day, they also say the Lord’s Prayer, hold daily Bible readings and attend chapel every Friday.

In light of the court’s ruling, does Morgan have any intention of curtailing such activities?

“I might intensify them,” he mused. “But we’re not going to back off.”