God References Added to Capitol Visitor Center

From The Christian Post
By Katherine T. Phan

Congressional committees have agreed to include references to "In God We Trust" and the Pledge of Allegiance to the newly opened Capitol Visitor Center thanks in part to efforts from the Congressional Prayer Caucus and Virginian Senator J. Randy Forbes.

Before the $621 million attraction opened last Tuesday, the Architect of the Capitol came under fire from Forbes and other conservative lawmakers like Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina, who protested factual inaccuracies and the omission of historical religious content in the Center.

During an initial tour of the 580,000 square feet Center in September, DeMint had noticed that the phrase "E. Pluribus Unum" — Latin for "from many, one" — was erroneously described as the national motto rather than "In God We Trust."

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FreedomWorks Launches Grassroots Campaign to 'Make it DeMint'

From International Business Times

FreedomWorks believes Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) is the best choice for the open seat on the Senate Finance Committee. The Senate Finance Committee is one of the Senate's most influential, with jurisdiction over taxation, healthcare, trade, and entitlement programs.

It is up to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to appoint a Republican Senator to the open seat.

FreedomWorks is running radio ads across Kentucky asking citizens to contact Senator McConnell's office to register support for Senator DeMint. The radio ads will run in the Louisville, Glasgow, Lexington, and Somerset markets.

Senator Jim DeMint has a legislative record of fighting for fundamental tax reform, consumer-driven healthcare, free trade, proposing bold solutions for Social Security, and reining in spending. But he can do even more by attacking the issue at its choke-point; from inside the Senate Finance Committee.

On the Senate Finance Committee, Senator DeMint would continue to lead the charge against abusive earmarks and fight attempts to raise taxes. He would help keep conservatives on principle and fight massive left-wing expansions in government.

To help support Senator DeMint's bid, FreedomWorks issued a call to action and grassroots activists from across the country are calling and emailing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to 'Make it DeMint!' FreedomWorks also set up the web site www.makeitdemint.com to lead the effort, and will hand deliver a petition signed by thousands of Americans to Senator McConnell's Washington office.

FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe commented:

"It is clear that Senator Jim DeMint is the choice of grassroots activists. The next Congress will debate and vote on once in a generation sized expansion of government and will also face trillion dollar deficits. Taxpayers need to have an advocate of limited government in the critical Senate Finance Committee. There is no one better for the task than Jim DeMint. He has earned his reputation the hard way by challenging other Senators' pet projects and profligate ways. DeMint did not come to Washington to go along to get along, he came to Washington to cut wasteful government and protect taxpayer dollars. FreedomWorks and our half million activists are proud to support Senator Jim DeMint."

DeMint: Capitol Visitor Center Fails to Honor Faith

From The Hill

Delete Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) from the list of admirers of the new Capitol Visitor Center.

DeMint issued a statement Tuesday criticizing the new facility for "omitting the history of faith." DeMint noted that the new tourist spot ignored his request to include the phrase "In God We Trust" and the Pledge of Allegiance.

DeMint said the center, which opened Tuesday, also has displays that are "left-leaning and in some cases distort our true history."

Here's DeMint's full statement:

“The Capitol Visitor Center is designed to tell the history and purpose of our nation's Capitol, but it fails to appropriately honor our religious heritage that has been critical to America’s success. While the Architect of the Capitol has pledged to include some references to faith, more needs to be done. You cannot accurately tell the history of America or its Capitol by ignoring the religious heritage of our Founders and the generations since who relied on their faith for strength and guidance. The millions of visitors that will visit the CVC each year should get a true portrayal of the motivations and inspirations of those who have served in Congress since its establishment.

“The current CVC displays are left-leaning and in some cases distort our true history. Exhibits portray the federal government as the fulfillment of human ambition and the answer to all of society’s problems. This is a clear departure from acknowledging that Americans’ rights ‘are endowed by their Creator’ and stem from ‘a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence.’ Instead, the CVC’s most prominent display proclaims faith not in God, but in government. Visitors will enter reading a large engraving that states, ‘We have built no temple but the Capitol. We consult no common oracle but the Constitution.’ This is an intentional misrepresentation of our nation’s real history, and an offensive refusal to honor America's God-given blessings. As George Washington stated clearly in his first inaugural address:

‘…[I]t would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official Act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the Universe, who presides in the Councils of Nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human defect, that his benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of the People of the United States, a Government instituted by themselves for these essential purposes: and may enable every instrument employed in its administration to execute with success, the functions allotted to his charge.’

“The fundamental principles of the freedom we enjoy in this country stem from our Founding Fathers’ beliefs in a higher power, beliefs put forth in the Declaration of Independence and manifest throughout our Constitution,” said Senator DeMint. “If we cease to acknowledge this fact, we may cease to enjoy some of the freedoms we take for granted. We must not censor historical references to God for the sake of political correctness. And we must truthfully represent the limited form of government the Constitution lays out so that our ‘government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.’ So help us God.”

Jim DeMint on John McCain: “He Betrayed Republican Principles”

John McCain met with Barack Hussein Obama today and announced that he will work closely with the in-coming administration. As Rush Limbaugh put it: "That scares the hell out of me!"

One Senator who will not be working to facilitate big government, socialist solutions to every problem facing the nation is South Carolina's valiant, conservative US Senator, Jim DeMint. In speaking to GOP officials gathered in Myrtle Beach on Friday, Senator DeMint made clear that it was the McCain campaign's failure to offer principled, conservative alternatives to those advanced by the socialists that led to his defeat.

Peter Hamby:

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (CNN) — South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint on Friday became one of the first high-profile Republicans to publicly criticize John McCain following his electoral defeat, blaming the Arizona senator for betraying conservative principles in his quest for the White House.

The conservative senator, speaking to a group of GOP officials gathered in Myrtle Beach at a conference on the future of the Republican Party, described how the party had strayed from its own "brand," which, according to DeMint, should represent freedom, religious-based values and limited government.

"We have to be honest, and there's a lot of blame to go around, but I have to mention George Bush, and I have to mention Ted Stevens, and I'm afraid I even have to mention John McCain," he said.

DeMint offered a long list of complaints about McCain's record in the Senate and on the campaign trail.

"McCain, who is proponent of campaign finance reform that weakened party organizations and basically put George Soros in the driver's seat," DeMint said. "His proposal for amnesty for illegals. His support of global warming, cap-and-trade programs that will put another burden on our economy. And of course, his embrace of the bailout right before the election was probably the nail in our coffin this last election. And he has been an opponent of drilling in ANWR, at a time when energy is so important. It really didn't fit the label, but he was our package."

A "Hardliner" Taking A Stand and Setting Himself Apart

A USA Today profile entitled The hardliners: Senators take a stand, set themselves apart, has recognized that South Carolina has a US Senator of which it can be proud in Senator Jim DeMint. The newspaper reports:

Entering his third year in the Senate, DeMint has achieved a rare distinction for a relative rookie: He has drawn the attention of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada and Reid’s deputy, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, who have taken time on the Senate floor to criticize DeMint by name.

“I like it,” said DeMint, who notes the attacks serve to draw attention to his issues.

DeMint, 55, is a conservative purist who defied his home state’s powerful textile interests to support free trade. He broke with President Bush to help torpedo the immigration bill and went against the advice of Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell to block ethics legislation. DeMint was seeking stricter rules on the disclosure of pet projects that members of Congress tack onto spending bills.

He makes no apologies for his role as a one-man roadblock to several major pieces of legislation. “The Congress needs to accept the fact that we have very little credibility with the American people,” DeMint said. He recommends that the nation’s policymakers adopt less-ambitious agendas: “If we’re going to earn credibility, we need to do a few small things we can agree on.”

Let's hope that after next year, Jim, there is a junior Senator from South Carolina who can help with your good work!