Ernest Istook: “Yes. Mr. Speaker, what the gentleman has is a copy of the city seal which had been adopted a number of years ago by…”

“Yes. Mr. Speaker, what the gentleman has is a copy of the city seal which had been adopted a number of years ago by Edmond, Oklahoma, which is in my congressional district. You can see a multiple number of emblems on it. You see at the top some oil derricks and a locomotive. You see on the left the tower from the University of Central Oklahoma, which is located there. On the bottom, you have a covered wagon in 1899 from the Land Run of 1899. You have a pair of hands above that, collapsed in friendship. Then to the right of that, you have a cross as a symbol of the community's great religious faith. Unfortunately, a lawsuit was brought, and, ultimately, when it got to the Supreme Court, the ruling of the Supreme Court said the cross has got to go. It was a great shock to a great many people, because they did not mean that as an expression to say that you have to be of one faith or another faith, but they did want to say that religious worship is a vital part of the lives of people in the community.”