Mark Souder: “H. Res. 853 may be the most self-evident resolution this body has considered in the 108th Congress. It is a bill to…”

“H. Res. 853 may be the most self-evident resolution this body has considered in the 108th Congress. It is a bill to recognize the good service of the Boy Scouts of America. One would think we might as well consider a resolution recognizing the good service of motherhood and apple pie. But, Mr. Speaker, as we near the end of 2004 we have to come to understand that some Americans do not believe in the good works of the Boy Scouts of America. In fact, there are those who believe that the very existence of the Boy Scouts of America does not deserve recognition by the Federal Government. Although such a disposition may appear to be shocking at first, it is the mind-bending logical conclusion of an effort that seeks to isolate groups like the Boy Scouts. The American Civil Liberties Union, ACLU, released the details of a legal settlement with the U.S. Department of Defense, DoD, this Tuesday, November 16, 2004. In this ongoing case, the ACLU has sued DOD and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD, for sponsoring the Boy Scouts of America, thus, in the opinion of the ACLU, breaching the Constitution's separation of church and state. While the settlement reached by the ACLU with DOC seems benign, the attack upon our country's cultural institutions cannot be ignored. While purporting to defend Liberty, the ACLU and its allies promote an agenda that discriminates against religion and blocks the People from helping those who help others.”