[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Pages 20526-20527]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

  Mr. DeMINT. Mr. President, I appreciate the Senator from Delaware 
speaking about our Constitution and religious freedoms because I would 
like to follow up on his remarks. This week, Americans watching the 
confirmation hearings of Judge John Roberts witnessed something unique 
about his character, something we had seen before but that is now 
undeniable--his humility. I believe humility is a virtue that we should 
all feel as Americans. We should be humble in light of the blessings 
that we have in this great country, humble in light of the courage of 
our Founders, and humble in light of the wisdom of the drafters of the 
Constitution.
  This country was founded on religious freedom by our Founding 
Fathers, many of whom were deeply religious. They wanted to create a 
place where they could worship without fear of persecution. 
Unfortunately, the Federal district court declared yesterday

[[Page 20527]]

that the phrase ``under God'' in our Pledge of Allegiance was 
unconstitutional. This is deeply troublesome and is no less irrational 
than it would be to declare the Constitution itself unconstitutional.
  The ruling by the Federal court in California is yet another example 
of the hostility by many activist judges toward a time-honored 
tradition. This tradition has been defended by numerous Justices, 
including Justice O'Connor, who said that eliminating such references 
would sever ties to a history that sustains this Nation even today.
  The Pledge of Allegiance began in 1892 as a patriotic exercise, 
expressing loyalty to our Nation. It is a part of an American tapestry 
of time-honored and historically significant traditions that have come 
under attack in this country. By international standards, we are a 
young country. Yet we seem so quick and so willing to throw out parts 
of our heritage that our Founders recognized as important. ``One nation 
under God'' is no more the establishment or endorsement of religion 
than our national motto, ``in God we trust,'' which is here above our 
door and above the Speaker's chair on the other side of the Capitol; or 
the phrase ``God bless America,'' the closing words often used by the 
President when making public comments or speeches.
  The Declaration of Independence states that our rights are 
inalienable for one reason, because we are endowed by our creator with 
these rights. All of our references to God are the ways the Government 
properly and constitutionally acknowledges our religious heritage.
  We are a great nation, but we are also one nation under God. We are 
filled with people who know how fortunate we are and how different our 
lives could be elsewhere.
  This is why it is important that we are reminded and that our 
children are reminded to be humble. Reciting that the United States is 
one nation under God is a statement of humility, a way of acknowledging 
that even as a world superpower, we recognize there is something bigger 
than we are, that our freedoms in this country come from God--not from 
Government. If we expel God from our public life, and if we lose 
humility that comes with the belief in a creator, our children and 
grandchildren will inherit an arrogant nation that has little hope for 
the future.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. DeMint). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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