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| I pledge allegiance... |
June 27, 2002 |
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Dear Friends,
My son is with me in Washington this week. When the 9th Circuit Court opinion declaring the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional was reported on the news, he was pretty shocked. He went back into the warren of filing cabinets and cubby holes in which my legislative staff works to find my Legislative Director. "Did you know that a judge just said that the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional?"
My Legislative Director didn`t believe him at first. It is pretty unbelievable. My son insisted that he come look at the report on TV.
A few minutes later my son got pretty somber and turned to me, "What are you going to do about this, Mom?" I asked him what he thought about the decision. His answer was clear. "I think it`s wrong. The pledge of allegiance is important."
Sometimes, children understand things that a group of well-educated adults just don`t get.
Heather recently visited students at Kirtland Elementary School in Albuquerque.
This morning the House was called to order at 10am from a dais with the words "In God We Trust" carved above the Speaker`s chair. We began, as we do every morning, with a prayer. Unlike most days when we go off to our committee rooms or constituent meetings, members lingered after we voted to approve yesterday`s Journal.
The chamber was packed with representatives from both parties and every corner of this great country. Denny Hastert asked J.C. Watts from Oklahoma to lead the house in the Pledge of Allegiance. We all rose as one, faced the flag and recited those familiar words. Then we started to applaud and the applause went on and on.
Someone in the back began to sing "God Bless America", as we had on the House steps on the evening of September 11th.
My son was with me on the House floor this morning and applauded "until his arms hurt".
There are rituals that bind our diverse nation together in ways that laws cannot. They are important to us and to our children. The court was wrong. Any kid knows that.
Wish you were here,
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