James Traficant: “let us cut to the chase here. Opponents say that the Constitution separates church and State. Let us get down to…”

“let us cut to the chase here. Opponents say that the Constitution separates church and State. Let us get down to business. But all legislative history clearly states and reflects the fact that the Founders' intent was only to prohibit the establishment of one state-sponsored religion. The Founders put God on our buildings, the Founders put God on our currency, and the Founders never intended to separate God and the American people. Think about what is happening in America. We have guns, drugs, murder in our schools, but prayer and God in our schools is actually prohibited by our government, we the people. Beam me up, Mr. Speaker. The Founders are rolling over in their graves. I say today on the House floor, a nation that denies God is a nation that invites the devil and welcomes massive social problems, and that is exactly what is happening in America. Look around. I stand here today in strong support of President Bush's initiative. I want to commend the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Watts) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Hall) for their great leadership in taking America back to the intended course that our Founders had planned for our great Nation, founded on religious liberty. We have let a few people in America decide what faith means. It is time to change that. This is the place to start. I commend those who are responsible for this great initiative.”