Turner Condemns Officials Decision Removing God from U.S. Capitol Flag Certificates

Statement

Turner Condemns Officials Decision Removing God from U.S. Capitol Flag Certificates

Among the many constituent services my office offers, having a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol, to commemorate an important date or event, is among the favorites. More than 100,000 flag requests are fulfilled for all Members each year.

Recently, Mr. Paul Larochelle and his son requested a flag from our office. They requested the flag to be flown over the Capitol on 9/11. In the Larochelle household September 11 is a bittersweet day. It is of course the anniversary of the worst attacks ever on American soil, but it is also Mr. Larochelle's birthday. For this reason, the Larochelles requested the flag be flown on that specific date.

The Larochelles also requested a certificate be inscribed with: "In honor of my grandfather Marcel Larochelle, and his dedication and love of God, country, and family…" Mr. Larochelle's son, Andrew, planned to present the flag and certificate to his grandfather, an Army veteran, after his Eagle Scout Ceremony. However, when the flag and certificate were returned to my office, the word "God" had been censored by the Architect of the Capitol's office.

I asked the Architect of the Capitol's office for further explanation of the censorship of the Larochelle's flag certificate. The Architect cited his own rules for Flag Office Services, rule number eight which states: "…religious expressions are not permitted on flag certificates." The AOC ruled that the Larochelle's use of the word "God" constituted a religious expression and therefore returned the certificate with the word "God" censored from the certificate.

I have written a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, calling for the repeal of the policy of censoring "God" from flag certificates. After circulating the letter for one day, 137 of my House colleagues have also signed the letter calling for the repeal of the policy.

This decision of the Architect of the Capitol to censor citizens who request the word "God" inscribed on the certificate included with flags flown over the United States Capitol is a violation of our tradition and heritage but also tramples on the First Amendment on multiple levels. I condemned the decision of the Architect of the Capitol to arbitrarily censor flag certificates.

This issue involving flag certificates is part of a larger effort to remove God from society. You may recall, in 2002, the 9 th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that including the phrase, "one nation under God," in the Pledge of Allegiance was an unconstitutional endorsement, when recited in public schools. While our nation is engaged in a legal battle to preserve those words in the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag, the Architect of the Capitol has unilaterally censored the word "God" from citizens' dedications of flags flown over the US Capitol.

The Architect is the custodian of the Capitol and currently maintains several religious symbols in the building. For example, the word ‘God' is inscribed on the walls of both Chambers of Congress. If permitted, removing ‘God' from Capitol flag ceremonies will be the precedent for removing ‘God' from the Capitol.

God is an integral part of our nation's founding heritage. The Declaration of Independence introduces the concept of natural law and the word "God," in the first paragraph. In the second paragraph, the preamble, Thomas Jefferson credits the "Creator" with endowing "all men with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

The Constitution's First Amendment spells out Americans' rights of freedom of religion, and freedom of speech - which the Supreme Court has interpreted to include freedom of expression. We must insist on protecting our First Amendment rights to protect our freedom of religious expression.

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