[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 21, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E573]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE SPEECH

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                       HON. C.L. ``BUTCH'' OTTER

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 21, 2004

  Mr. OTTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call the attention of my 
colleagues to the wisdom of a child.
  One of my constituents, an 11-year-old girl from Post Falls, Idaho, 
named Dori Thompson, recently delivered a simple but compelling speech 
about the Pledge of Allegiance, about American values, and about the 
source of the freedoms we enjoy.
  I'd like to share it with you now:

       Our nation's Pledge of Allegiance is 31 words. ``I pledge 
     allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and 
     to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, 
     indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.'' Are all 
     those words important? I have been saying those words ever 
     since I was in preschool and wanted to know what those words 
     meant, where those words came from, and why our courts want 
     to take ``under God'' away.
       In 1892 our country was planning for the 400th anniversary 
     of America's discovery. Two men, Francis Bellamy and James 
     Upham, were interested in education and the planning of 
     Columbus Day celebrations. To this day it is still not known 
     which of the two men actually wrote the pledge, but it was 
     published in ``The Youth's Companion'' September 8, 1892.
       One month later more than 12 million school children said 
     those words for the first time in schools around the nation. 
     The pledge went through several changes over the years and 
     the last change happened in 1954. Dwight D. Eisenhower added 
     the words ``under God'' to confirm the belief that America's 
     heritage and future were built upon faith in God. He thought 
     that school children should dedicate our nation to God each 
     day.
       Now what do these 31 words mean? This is what I think:
       I promise to be loyal to and love our symbol of freedom, 
     our flag. It means each one of us is free; free because 
     hundreds of thousands of soldiers have died for us so that we 
     can have that right. I promise to be loyal to and love our 
     government because it is for and has been chosen by the 
     American people. Our nation exists because of God and was 
     founded by our faith in Him, the Lord who is life, light, 
     justice, truth, and love. Our nation cannot be divided under 
     Him and we all have the right to our freedom and should be 
     treated fairly, each and every one of us.
       The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said the Pledge is 
     unconstitutional because of the words ``under God.'' Our 
     country and values were made under the belief of God. So much 
     of the world does not believe in God anymore. The world wants 
     him taken out of everything. The Bible is not taught in 
     public schools and therefore the world is not completely 
     educated. Since these judges say that ``under God'' is 
     unconstitutional, why do they start the day by saying ``God 
     save the United States and this honorable court?''
       The Pledge of Allegiance should not be changed because some 
     people are offended by it. It is part of our national 
     heritage. I am a Christian and I understand the meaning of 
     all those wonderful 31 words.

  Mr. Speaker, I couldn't have put it better myself.
  Dori attends Classical Christian Academy in Post Falls. She is the 
kind of young person who gives me hope and faith in America's future. 
Mr. Speaker, I hope you find her words and her example as inspirational 
as I do.




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