So with the war in Iraq, the fight over immigration, and concerns over the detention of terrorism suspects, what did the Senate find time to pass this week?
A symbolic resolution on the national motto - one that, among other things,
(1) commemorates the 50th anniversary of the national motto of the United States, `In God We Trust';
(2) celebrates the national motto as--
(A) a fundamental aspect of the national life of the citizens of the United States; and
(B) a phrase that is central to the hopes and vision of the Founding Fathers for the perpetuity of the United States;
(3) reaffirms today that the substance of the national motto is no less vital to the future success of the Nation; and.
To some this might seem like a cheap election year ploy designed to appease the Right. Of course, that is exactly what it is - and the Right is eating it up
"It is heartening to see the men and women elected to serve the people formally acknowledge once again, the true source of the blessings we enjoy as a nation," Dr. James Dobson, chairman of Focus on the Family Action, said. "It has become increasingly distressing to watch activists courts from one coast to the other try to scrub every last vestige of our Christian heritage from the public square — whether it's ordering Ten Commandments displays out of public buildings or ruling 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional."
Senate Concurrent Resolution 96, timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the motto, does not establish "In God We Trust" in law, but as Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action, acknowledged, it does show Senate support.
"One of the implicit purposes of the Resolution was to send a clear message to the courts in this country," he said, "that the national motto is not something to be tinkered with in order to calm the offended sensibilities of secularists bent on scrubbing all references to God from the public square."
Dr. Dobson stressed the importance of the House passing the resolution as well.
"We will only continue to enjoy the freedoms and greatness that have been our legacy for the last 230 years if we continue to acknowledge the Lord as the creator and protector of our land," he said. "We call on the members of the House to follow their colleagues' example and pass this resolution soon."
