December 6, 2010
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
We write today in response to a speech given on November 10, 2010, at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta , Indonesia , in which you stated “But I believe that the history of both America and Indonesia should give us hope. It is a story written into our national mottos. In the United States , our motto is E pluribus unum -- out of many one … our nations show that hundreds of millions who hold different beliefs can be united in freedom under one flag.”
E pluribus unum is not our national motto. In 1956, Congress passed and President Eisenhower approved the law establishing ‘In God We Trust’ as the official national motto of the United States . This motto is also referenced in our national anthem and is engraved on our coins and currency.
Additionally, during three separate events thus fall, when quoting from the Declaration of Independence, you mentioned that we have inalienable rights, but consistently failed to mention the source of the rights. The Declaration of Independence definitively recognizes God, our Creator, as the source of our rights. Omitting the word ‘Creator’ once was a mistake; but twice establishes a pattern. In your speech in Indonesia , you mentioned being unified under one flag. The Pledge of Allegiance to our flag says that we are “one nation under God.” As President of the United States, you are our representative to the rest of the world. By misrepresenting things as foundational as the Declaration of Independence and our national motto, you are not only doing a disservice to the people you represent you are casting aside an integral part of American society.
John Adams said, “It is religion and morality alone, which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand.” If Adams was right, by making these kinds of statement to the rest of the world, you are removing one of the cornerstones of our secure freedom. If we pull the thread of religious conviction out of the marketplace of ideas, we unravel the tapestry of freedom that birthed America.
As members of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, a bi-partisan group of 68 Members of the United States House of Representatives, we are dedicated to preserving America ’s religious heritage and protecting our religious liberty. We respectively request that you issue a correction to the speech you gave, as it does nit accurately reflect America and serves to undercut an important part of our history. We are willing to meet with you to discuss thus further if you would like. As President Ronald Reagan warned, “If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”
Signed by the following Legislators: J. Randy Forbes, VA; Mike McIntyre, NC; Paul Broun, GA; Steve King, IA; John Shadegg, AZ; Louie Gohmert, TX; Donald Manzullo, IL; John Boozman, AR; Joseph Pitts, PA; David Reichert, WA; Gregg Harper, MS; Jason Chaffetz, UT; Robert Aderholtz, AL; Jim Jordan, OH; Glenn Thompson, PA; Steve Austria, OH; Jeff Miller, FL; Mike Pence, IN; Cathy McMorris Rogers, WA; Scott Garrett, NJ; Joe WIlson, SC; Doug Lamborn, CO; John Kline, MN; Phil Roe, TN; Peter Roskam, IL; John Carter, TX; K. Michael Conway, TX; W. Todd Akin, MO; Zach Wamp, TN; Randy Neubebauer, TX; Todd Tiahrt, KS; Robert Wittman, VA; Vernon Ehlers, MI; Tom Price,GA; Spencer Bachus, AL; Roscoe Bartlett, MD; Mike Rogers, AL; Virginia Foxx, NC; Thaddeus McCotter, MI; Trent Franks, AZ; Phil Gingrey, GA; and, Michelle Bachmann, MN.
And we know that if they had a chance you could add the following names: John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, John Adams, Samuel Adams, James Monroe and a host of others, known otherwise as out Founding Fathers.
