You’ll be pleased to know Congress has so much free time on its hands that it could take time from its schedule yesterday to debate and vote on a resolution praising the post-1954 Pledge of Allegiance.
The House of Representatives on Thursday adopted a resolution sponsored by a local congressman supporting the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.
The resolution by U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Temecula, expresses the belief of Congress that the words are constitutional and urges the U.S. Supreme Court to clarify the constitutional status of the pledge as soon as possible, according to a release issued by Issa’s office.
“We come to this juncture because of an attempt by a very few to scour the public space of religious symbols and expression,” Issa said in a statement for the Congressional Record.
Yes, it’s amazing that our parents and grandparents — generations who survived the Great Depression and won two World Wars — managed to remain both patriotic and religious while reciting an entirely secular Pledge of Allegiance in school. How could these fragile institutions survive for nearly 200 years of American history with a public space scoured of religious symbols and expression? Just luck, I guess.
The resolution passed the House, of course, but I think it’s interesting that the vote wasn’t unanimous. A total of 383 members backed the resolution, but a surprising 31 members — all Dems — voted against it.
I have to say, that takes some courage. Republicans, left with no winning policies or issues, want to exploit the Pledge and state-endorsed religion for all they’re worth right now. Those 31 Dems surely knew that this resolution would win overwhelmingly, but they took a stand on principle and supported separation of church and state. Good for them.
Going along with the crowd surely would have been a lot easier, and few could have blamed them for holding their nose and backing the resolution. Kudos to the 31 who voted against it anyway.