Issues@Hand

AFA initiatives, Christian activism, news briefs

September 2002 – AFA has launched a drive to protect the Pledge of Allegiance after a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals declared that the words “under God” are unconstitutional. 

A new constitutional amendment has been proposed in both the House of Representatives and the Senate which would protect the current wording of the Pledge of Allegiance – containing the words “under God” – and the national motto. Such an amendment would prohibit liberal judges from declaring either one unconstitutional.

AFA was contacted by the office of Rep. Chip Pickering (R-MS), and the AFA Center for Law and Policy helped draft a version of the amendment, which was eventually introduced as H.108. 

The effort was announced by Pickering in late July at a press conference on Capitol Hill. He was joined by about a dozen congressmen, including Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) and Rep. Robin Hayes (R-NC), as well as AFA spokesman Pat Trueman.

“How fortunate we are,” Pickering said, “to stand together as we begin a national campaign to protect and promote the Pledge to the Flag and our national motto – ‘In God We Trust’ – and to protect it by a constitutional amendment.” 

Trueman also spoke of the need for such an amendment. He said there are millions of Americans throughout the country who want to protect the nation’s religious heritage and “want God – Almighty God – to still reign sovereign over our land and to protect us, and we want to honor Him.” 

In early August Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) introduced the same version of the bill in the Senate as S.43.