A post by Maynard
A few days ago, Tammy pointed out Dennis Prager’s objections to Keith Ellison’s announcement that he would take the Congressional Oath of Office on the Koran rather than the Bible.
It seems that the usual mobs are trying to bring down Prager. Specifically, Prager’s seat on the board of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (where he was recently appointed by George Bush; his term will run until 2011) is under attack.
The challengers are the Council on American-Islamic Relations (see the profile compiled by Discover the Network) and also the Anti-Defamation League (an organization that sometimes drifts into excessive political correctness).
For the record, Prager’s editorial makes the essential point that a Congressman is swearing to uphold America’s values. This is not a personal ceremony, where you bring your own favorite book; it’s a ceremonial alignment with the nation and its traditions and culture. The problem lies not with Prager, but with anyone who finds this small tribute to America so offensive as to be objectionable.
UPDATE: Prager responds to his critics here.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Apparently this is another trumped up issue. Bibles are not part of the official swearing in.
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/16143899.htm
“The House speaker administers the oath to members en masse on the floor of the House of Representatives. It’s up to individual members if they want to hold religious texts, said Fred Beuttler, the House deputy historian. After the official swearing-in, members often have photos taken at a staged swearing-in ceremony in the speaker’s office or their own offices, where they can place their left hands on sacred texts or hold them and have their families or religious leaders present, Beuttler said.â€
>>This is not a personal ceremony, where you bring your own favorite book
Didn’t Bill Clinton want to take the oath on his favorite copy of Hustler?
I don’t suppose anything needs to be said by me when it’s been said by such icons of American history.
“The United States is in no sense founded upon the Christian doctrine.” – George Washington
“As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion …” – from the Treaty of Tripoli, signed by John Adams, June 10, 1797
To paraphrase Bush’s brain: You’re entitled to your facts, I’m entitled to THE facts.
You must log in to post a comment.