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Subscribe to RSSThe House will vote tonight on a bill that would solidify the phrase "In God We Trust" as the nation's motto, and would support and encourage "the public display of the national motto in all public buildings, public schools, and other government institutions."
The vote should occur around 6:30 pm ET.
The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA), will likely pass with the two-thirds majority needed to pass, but it is not without its opponents. In a report of dissenting views from Democratic members of the Committee on the Judiciary Committee, five Democrats call the bill "unnecessary" and a violation of "the First Amendment's prohibition against the establishment of religion."
The List of Dissenters: Reps. John Conyers (D-MI), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Robert "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), Melvin Watt (D-NC), Judy Chu (D-CA).
Key Statements in Dissenting Opinion Report:
"For more than 50 years, the National Motto has been the law of the land. While some have questioned its constitutionality, none of these challenges has succeeded. We wonder, therefore, why the Majority believes this precatory intervention by Congress is so necessary."
"By aggressively pursuing a vehicle that places the government in the position of making an affirmatively religious statement, the Majority has transgressed the clear line between government and religion in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment."
Here is some background information on the "In God We Trust” motto from the report:
The motto IN GOD WE TRUST was placed on United States coins largely because of the increased religious sentiment existing during the Civil War. Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase received many appeals from devout persons throughout the country, urging that the United States recognize the Deity on United States coins.
From Treasury Department records, it appears that the first such appeal came in a letter dated November 13, 1861. It was written to Secretary Chase by Rev. M. R. Watkinson, Minister of the Gospel from Ridleyville, Pennsylvania.
. . .
As a result, Secretary Chase instructed James Pollock, Director of the Mint at Philadelphia, to prepare a motto, in a letter dated November 20, 1861:
Dear Sir: No nation can be strong except in the
strength of God, or safe except in His defense. The trust
of our people in God should be declared on our national
coins.You will cause a device to be prepared without unnecessary
delay with a motto expressing in the fewest and
tersest words possible this national recognition.It was found that the Act of Congress dated January 18, 1837, prescribed the mottoes and devices that should be placed upon the coins of the United States. This meant that the mint could make no changes without the enactment of additional legislation by the Congress. In December 1863, the Director of the Mint submitted designs for new one-cent coin, two-cent coin, and three-cent coin to Secretary Chase for approval. He proposed that upon the designs either OUR COUNTRY; OUR GOD or GOD, OUR TRUST should appear as a motto on the coins. In a letter to the Mint Director on December 9, 1863, Secretary Chase stated:
I approve your mottoes, only suggesting that on that
with the Washington obverse the motto should begin
with the word OUR, so as to read OUR GOD AND
OUR COUNTRY. And on that with the shield, it
should be changed so as to read: IN GOD WE TRUST.The Congress passed the Act of April 22, 1864. This legislation changed the composition of the one-cent coin and authorized the minting of the two-cent coin. The Mint Director was directed to develop the designs for these coins for final approval of the Secretary. IN GOD WE TRUST first appeared on the 1864 two-cent coin.
Another Act of Congress passed on March 3, 1865. It allowed the Mint Director, with the Secretary's approval, to place the motto on all gold and silver coins that ''shall admit the inscription thereon.'' Under the Act, the motto was placed on the gold double-eagle coin, the gold eagle coin, and the gold half-eagle coin. It was also placed on the silver dollar coin, the half-dollar coin and the quarter-dollar coin, and on the nickel three-cent coin beginning in 1866. Later, Congress passed the Coinage Act of February 12, 1873. It also said that the Secretary may cause the motto IN GOD WE TRUST to be inscribed on such coins as shall admit of such motto. . . .''
The motto has been in continuous use on the one-cent coin since 1909, and on the ten-cent coin since 1916. It also has appeared on all gold coins and silver dollar coins, half-dollar coins, and quarter-dollar coins struck since July 1, 1908.
A law passed by the 84th Congress (P.L. 84-851) and approved by the President on July 30, 1956, the President approved a Joint Resolution of the 84th Congress, declaring IN GOD WE TRUST the national motto of the United States. IN GOD WE TRUST was first used on paper money in 1957, when it appeared on the one-dollar silver certificate. The first paper currency bearing the motto entered circulation on October 1, 1957. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing was converting to the dry intaglio printing process. During this conversion, it gradually included IN GOD WE TRUST in the back design of all classes and denominations of currency.
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Hey Backhouse the Republicans in Congress have sent multiple bills to the Senate re jobs and Harry Reid will not bring them to a vote. I know it doesn't fit your limited narritive but oh well.
"We the people " should be what america's motto should be and we the people are not paying these teagaggers to spend the country's dime to try and push their ideology....if these clowns spent as much time doing what they said they wanted to do when they ran for office (JOBS JOBS JOBS) we would probably be alot better off than we are today but it seems these nutcases staight up lied to the american people when they said they would at least try to create jobs......They in no way , shape , nor form have tried to do exactly that......remember that come election time.......
Shameless posturing by a Congress that will sieze every oppotunity to avoid doing their actual jobs. Why are they wasting time reiterating something that was passed 50+ years ago?
The Supreme Court is wrong to uphold ceremonial theism as not infringing upon the establishment clause, and measures like these are an even greater affront to our Constitution.
Our founding fathers did not trust in God or his anointed agent sitting on the throne of England. No, they took action to determine their own future, striking a blow against authoritarianism. "In God We Trust" is an abdication of personal responsibility and capability. It is an appeal to a grand authority and therefore an insult to the concepts of liberty and equality. It is contrary to everything the country was designed to represent. Nothing could be more ironic that having this statement as our national motto.
What was wrong with "E Pluribus Unum"? Oh, yeah. That sounds like socialism. And its not in English.
i cant believe jesus likes that his dads name is beign put on materalistic things. i coulda swore he was against that stuff but........its all about the benjis i guess. i damn thee to hell...damn now i sound like them.
Well, guess I'm for it. And in the words of Forest Gump.."that's all I have to say about that."
In my line of work (grocery store manager).."In God we Trust--All others pay cash.
The Republican held House is only one third of the stool of Government. The other two legs are held by Democrats who will not even bring the House Budget plan up for debate ... where as the Dems can't even come up with a budget in how many years? When the Republicans hopefully take the Senate and White House next fall and the insane Government spending is reigned in. Business will relax their holdings and start hireing. Why should they struggle to make tax money when Government wastes most of what its given? You leftists had your chance when you held all three legs of the Government stool ... What did you do? Created more debt,initiated more giveaways, and drove business under. Thanks a pant load.
Our national motto should be"God help us"
Have you forgotten that the republicans have the majority here. What exactly have they done to make things better? Do you have a list?
pin,
They have actually submitted a budget unlike the Democrats who don't know how. They have made it quite obvious that we are spending ourselves into oblivion and need to cut across the board.
What have the Democrats done for us in the last two years but bury us ever so deeper in debt. With no reasonable plan of their own to get us out. They seem to think spending us deeper in debt will get us out of this hole.
Conservative Christians will not be happy until they have the power Hitler had, who also used his conservative Christianity to get what he wanted done. Conservative ideology has NEVER helped one single person, one culture, one country or this earth in any way. Conservative Christians would like all non-Christians to be treated like second class citizens, just like the Puritans did in the 1490s, by killing Quakers and sending others away. Even Ben Franklin left Massachusetts because they were so religiously intolerant at his time. We must all remember to that LIBERAL IDEOLOGY, that ended the theocracy that the USA could of become, but thanks to Thomas Jefferson, he planted the seed of equal rights for all people's beliefs. He believed Puritans shouldn't have the right to force Quakers to fund their Church, and they should be allowed to work in schools and the government and not be hunted down and lynched, just like Puritans were allowed to live. These Puritans have not left the USA, they are here, and want to kill all those in their way. Constantine did it, all throughout history Christianity has been spread, not by love or the Sermon in the Mount, but by violence, oppression, rape, and war. I believe they are more a threat to the USA than all supposed Muslim terrorists around the world. At least the Muslim Terrorists are acting that way because someone from another country (USA) has been attacking them for decades, they are just reacting. Here in the USA, these Conservative Christians just want to destroy all, they have to reason to, they are not reacting to an attack, they are just attacking. I think they all should be eliminated. Wish I had that power.
Even if I don't agree with the conservative christians, I still believe that they have the right to be here--they just don't have the right to force their beliefs on the rest of us. Thinking they should be eliminated is demonstrating the same intolerance.
"We have met the enemy and he is us!" Pogo by Walt Kelly
Apparently this is what congresscritters are doing instead of focusing on our decaying infrastructure, the economy, our national debt, crooked lobbyists and CEOs, global climate change, a burgeoning plutocracy, etc. They are their own version of the American Taliban there...
Apparently, they have also totally forgotten about the motto that was "Founding Fathers Approved" of E. Pluribus Unum, and instead want to divide people over whose imaginary friend loves them the most...
Oh, and I must ask you ladies, are you hiding jobs in your uterus? The republicans seem to be nearly obsessed with your uteruses (uteri?) for the sheer number of bills they are introducing concerning how they are to be treated. What gives?
Conservative Christians will not be happy until they have the power Hitler had, who also used his conservative Christianity to get what he wanted done. Conservative ideology has NEVER helped one single person, one culture, one country or this earth in any way. Conservative Christians would like all non-Christians to be treated like second class citizens, just like the Puritans did in the 1490s, by killing Quakers and sending others away. Even Ben Franklin left Massachusetts because they were so religiously intolerant at his time. We must all remember to that LIBERAL IDEOLOGY, that ended the theocracy that the USA could of become, but thanks to Thomas Jefferson, he planted the seed of equal rights for all people's beliefs. He believed Puritans shouldn't have the right to force Quakers to fund their Church, and they should be allowed to work in schools and the government and not be hunted down and lynched, just like Puritans were allowed to live. These Puritans have not left the USA, they are here, and want to kill all those in their way. Constantine did it, all throughout history Christianity has been spread, not by love or the Sermon in the Mount, but by violence, oppression, rape, and war. I believe they are more a threat to the USA than all supposed Muslim terrorists around the world. At least the Muslim Terrorists are acting that way because someone from another country (USA) has been attacking them for decades, they are just reacting. Here in the USA, these Conservative Christians just want to destroy all, they have to reason to, they are not reacting to an attack, they are just attacking. I think they all should be eliminated. Wish I had that power.
Hypocrites all! Maybe the Republicans should start acting a little like God, instead of taking from the poor and giving to their rich cronies. We have so many problems in this country and this is all they can come up with. We can only hope that they get what is coming to them pretty soon and not in a good way.
JoAnn,
Are you threatening?
I would be curious if the politicians ever read these postings. I think it's sad that some of these religious people are so arrogant about their religion. I wonder if they know anything about Jesus and the kind of person he was. According to the bible I read, he was very excepting of others and very loving and very humble. Man, some of these christians are down right mean and hateful. They certainly are not excepting of others. Why, in God's name would we want them leading our country. I'm thinking God would be ashamed of those people and there is probably no room for them in God's heaven. Just saying...
No, not threating, just hoping. Voted out of office would be nice.
Don't be fooled by the hope and change or msnbc. obama will be voted out, dems may keep the senate and take the house, but obama is out. Sorry.
Will the motto help the frustrated 99% people? Vote or see What's on people's mind @octorama.com/desktop/display-1788