December 5, 2007 - Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) introduced the “Loyalty to Our Legacy Act” along with Senators Michael Enzi (R-Wyoming) and David Vitter (R-Louisiana). U.S. Representative Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colorado) introduced an identical bill in the House of Representatives and it currently has 43 cosponsors.
The “Loyalty to Our Legacy Act” ensures the Pledge of Allegiance and the national motto, “In God We Trust,” are prominently displayed in the new U.S. Capitol Visitor Center (CVC), which is due to be completed in 2008. The legislation would also prohibit the removal of language or other content from exhibits on the Capitol grounds that it includes religious or Judeo-Christian references.
“Any attempt to ban references to God in our nation’s Capitol Visitors Center is censorship of America’s proud heritage of faith, and our bill will put a stop to it,” said Senator DeMint. “Acknowledgements of God have been an important part of our country’s traditions from the Declaration of Independence to the Pledge of Allegiance and the Capitol itself contains numerous references to faith.” According to the CVC website, the new building is “conceived as an extension of the Capitol that welcomes visitors to the seat of American government.”
“Just a few weeks ago, Capitol officials sought to deny a boy his first amendment rights when he asked to have ‘God, Country, and family’ written on an American flag certificate to honor his veteran grandfather. We cannot allow our history to be rewritten under pressures of political correctness,” said Senator DeMint.
There have been repeated attempts to bar the inclusion of faith and religious themes when commemorating our American heritage. Just last month, the Architect of the Capitol refused to reference God on any flag certificates, citing their Flag Service Rules which prohibit “any religious or political” expressions on flag certificates. Numerous Members of Congress stood up and defended our Constitutional right to free speech, and the Architect of the Capitol rescinded the rule.
“We are one nation under God. We always have been and either we always will be or we will have a government that has lost sight of what our country was founded on. It’s good to be reminded that the founding fathers held the values of God, family and country so highly. We shouldn’t forget our history,” said Senator Enzi.
“We are a nation that was founded on the principles of freedom,” said Senator Vitter. “While we respect the beliefs of all Americans, we cannot deny those principles that we, as a nation, have held dear since the arrival of the Mayflower, and we need to ensure that acknowledging and revering these principles cannot be prohibited in the future.”
Both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate open every morning with prayer. The Declaration of Independence references “God” and affirms that everyone’s rights are “endowed by their Creator.” The Pledge of Allegiance contains the words “under God.” U.S. currency is printed with the words “in God we trust.” Additionally, there are numerous references to God in the U.S. Capitol.
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