[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16133-16134]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    BUHLER, KANSAS, IS UNDER ASSAULT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Kansas (Mr. Pompeo) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POMPEO. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of the 1,300 
citizens of Buhler, Kansas--and indeed all Kansans--and in fact all 
Americans who value religious freedom and religious liberty.
  The citizens of Buhler are under assault. They are the latest victims 
of an ungodly extortion racket perpetrated by the Freedom from Religion 
Foundation based in Madison, Wisconsin.
  On September 14, 2012, the Freedom from Religion Foundation sent a 
letter to the mayor of the town of Buhler, Daniel Friesen, alerting him 
to the foundation's intent to sue the city for its city seal, which 
contained a cross, and for a billboard that included elements of that 
city seal that was in a city park. Mr. Speaker, this is an outrage. The 
seal and sign are harming no one; they are widely embraced by the 
citizens of Buhler, Kansas.
  The seal contains the words ``traditional values'' and ``progressive 
ideas.'' Unfortunately, in this case, progressive ideas are making war 
on traditional values, and it's high time for that to stop.
  Some will claim that the First Amendment to the Constitution requires 
the cross to be removed from this seal and sign. That's hogwash. The 
First Amendment begins with the

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words: ``Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of 
religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.'' In this instance, 
Congress made no law. For that reason alone the First Amendment does 
not apply.
  Furthermore, it cannot be said that this simple seal in any way is an 
establishment of religion; meaning that there is no officially 
supported sect or denomination here in the manner that some of the 
American colonies had. This is not in any way an endorsement of any 
particular religion or any religious denomination.
  In short, the First Amendment, as originally written, has nothing to 
do with this city's sign. Indeed, for the first 175 years of our 
constitutional history, no one would have read the First Amendment in 
any way that would have prevented this seal or this sign.
  Mr. Speaker, in this very room in which I stand, this very Chamber, 
right over my right-hand shoulder is a sign that says ``In God We 
Trust.'' Near the rotunda of the Capitol is the Congressional Prayer 
Room, a chapel that's been in use since 1955 as a place where Members 
go to pray for divine guidance in debating the issues of the day. A 
stained glass window there shows President George Washington kneeling 
in prayer and the words of Psalm 16:1 surround him: ``Preserve me, O 
God, for in thee do I put my trust.'' And a Holy Bible rests on the 
alter beneath that window in this very building.
  Of course I grant you that the First Amendment has been badly 
interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court. Indeed, the 10th Circuit's 
rulings are even more troubling. It could well be that in this case the 
city would lose this case.
  I don't fault the citizens of Buhler, Kansas, for the process that 
they're going through in trying to figure out how to proceed. Indeed, 
the Freedom from Religion Foundation knows this. They know that they've 
attacked a city, threatened to sue a city with very few resources. We 
will have a very difficult time battling an extended period of 
litigation. I do not fault the folks in Buhler at all for trying to 
figure out a way to move forward without resulting in litigation.
  But why didn't the Freedom from Religion Foundation sue the United 
States Congress for all that I spoke about just a minute ago? The 
reason is obvious. The reason is they are being bullies. They are 
seeking to put their secular vision in a place where they believe they 
can do it without opposition, a place that has fewer resources. Folks 
will face a very, very difficult decision about how the town and the 
city should move forward.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that this assault on religion in the public 
square will end soon. I am very saddened by the recent events in 
Buhler, Kansas. I am angered by the extortionary tactics of the Freedom 
from Religion Foundation. And, above all, I am determined to ensure 
that the religious heritage of our great Nation will not be cast aside.

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