James M. Talent: “I am here today to discuss a resolution, strongly disapproving of the recent decision by the U.S. District Court for the…”

“I am here today to discuss a resolution, strongly disapproving of the recent decision by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California that the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional. I am hopeful that the Senate will pass this resolution later today. , The Pledge of Allegiance is a record of American values and history and the words of the Pledge still resonate in the convictions of Americans today. For more than 50 years, the Pledge of Allegiance has included references to the flag, to our country having been established as a union ``under God,'' and to this country being dedicated to securing ``liberty and justice for all.'' The Senate believes, as recognized in a resolution passed unanimously in 2003, that the Pledge is a fully constitutional expression of patriotism. However, some of our courts have either no respect for or understanding of these American traditions. Several years ago--June 26, 2002--in what has become an infamous case, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled the Pledge of Allegiance to be unconstitutional when recited voluntarily because it uses the phrase ``one nation under God.'' On June 14, the Supreme Court at least temporarily preserved the phrase ``one nation under God,'' in the Pledge of Allegiance, ruling that the plaintiff could not challenge the patriotic oath because he did not have standing in the case.…”