[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 14]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 18823]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   H. CON. RES. 131, DIRECTING THE AOC TO ENGRAVE ``IN GOD WE TRUST''

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. DANIEL E. LUNGREN

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 22, 2009

  Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California. Madam Speaker, I rise today in 
support of H. Con. Res. 131, directing the Architect of the Capitol to 
engrave our National Motto and the Pledge of Allegiance in the Capitol 
Visitor Center.
  These two statements of historical significance speak to the culture 
and development of our nation as a people united by a core set of 
philosophical maxims. This resolution stands as a tribute to the work 
of our founding fathers, a legacy that this body has been entrusted to 
maintain.
  Abraham Lincoln argued that the Constitution could not be read 
properly without reference to the Declaration of Independence whereby 
the origin of our individual rights is identified as God. The 
Declaration refers to those unalienable rights as endowed by God, or 
``their Creator'' with a capital ``C,'' specifying that those rights do 
not exist except by the grace of God.
  This concept, of individual rights as given by God, is the very 
foundation upon which our Constitution stands. It was revolutionary at 
the time because it defines the worth of an individual apart from and 
prior to the state. To refuse to recognize God as the origin of our 
unalienable rights is to refuse the very basis by which one's worth is 
established.
  Removing God as the basis by which we define and recognize our 
individual rights removes a constancy within our constitutional order, 
subjecting the definition of those rights to an ever changing and 
inconsistent standard of public opinion and momentary context. It is 
the very fact that these rights are endowed by our Creator that makes 
them unalienable--a truth we as a nation must never forget.
  Furthermore, acknowledgement of God and His tenets has been an 
integral part of our national story, since its inception. Those 
assenting to the Declaration understood it as an appeal ``to the 
Supreme Judge of the world for rectitude of our intentions.''
  Moreover, George Washington, in his farewell address, observed, ``Of 
all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, 
religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that 
man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these 
great pillars of human happiness--these firmest props of the duties of 
men and citizens.''
  When Patrick Henry advocated revolution in his famous ``give me 
liberty or give me death'' speech before the Virginia House of 
Burgesses, he declared, ``Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use 
of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power.'' 
Continuing, ``[We] shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just 
God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up 
friends to fight our battles for us.''
  Madam Speaker, the reliance upon and foundational belief in God is 
deeply interwoven into the fabric of this nation's beginning and 
growth. So much so that, to omit an appeal to Providence in the 
retelling of our history would be a profound disservice to that 
history.
  In the short period that the Capitol Visitor Center has been open it 
has attracted over one million visitors, with many more to come. The 
historical offering of the CVC will be augmented by this resolution, 
ensuring that the philosophy which provided the Cornerstone for our 
great nation will endure in words, and as many of us in this body 
aspire, hopefully in deed as well.
  I urge the support of my colleagues for this resolution and look 
forward to its swift passage.

                          ____________________