[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 25086]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 HOW THE GRINCH STOLE THE CONSTITUTION

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, a fourth grader in Pennsylvania has been told 
that he cannot hand out Christmas cards to his classmates if they 
contain religious messages.
  Two middle school students in Minnesota have gotten in trouble for 
wearing red and green scarves during a Christmas skit and for ending 
the skit by saying ``We hope you all have a merry Christmas.''
  Two ninth graders in Massachusetts have been told they cannot create 
Christmas cards that say Merry Christmas or depict a nativity scene.
  A teacher in Illinois has been warned by her principal not to read a 
book about Christmas to her second grade class, even though it is from 
the school library.
  A school district in Georgia has deleted the word Christmas from its 
school calendar to avoid a lawsuit from the ACLU.
  Mr. Speaker, the Constitution has been hijacked. The founders never 
intended the first amendment to prevent schoolchildren from wishing 
each other a merry Christmas.
  Left-wing lawyers are distorting the Constitution beyond all 
recognition. Pretty soon they will be able to make it say anything they 
want it to say, and then we will all be in trouble.
  The Grinch may have already stolen Christmas. Let us keep him from 
stealing the Constitution too.

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