July 7, 2002

Washington, D.C.-Every Fourth of July brings with it some timeless traditions in Oklahoma and across America: backyard barbecues; fireworks; and lots of red, white and blue.

Usually the holiday causes folks to bring their flags out of the closet and display them at their homes and businesses. But this year, the flags were already out. They have been waving proudly since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on our country. This year I saw more displays of Old Glory than ever before. In fact, I'd say that I've seen more U.S. flags flying on an average day in the last 10 months than on previous Independence Days.

In my office, where I can provide my constituents with flags that have been flown over the U.S. Capitol, there was a tremendous jump in requests for flags after Sept. 11. Some of those very flags were no doubt flying during the holiday weekend.

This display of patriotism has been fantastic and uplifting for our country and for the armed forces fighting the war on terrorism. But it's important to remember that we must also protect the values and ideals that the flag represents. We as a nation must rally around the cause to protect the rights granted us through the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We must also make sure those ideals wave proudly for future generations.

These ideals are spelled out in our Pledge of Allegiance, which was under attack recently by liberal judges who said leading schoolchildren in saying the Pledge of Allegiance was unconstitutional, because the words "under God" were an illegal endorsement of religion.

The court that came to this nutty decision is the San Francisco-based Ninth Circuit court, a court that has more decisions reversed by the Supreme Court than any other circuit in the country. The ruling, if allowed to stand, would mean teachers can no longer lead schoolchildren in the recitation of the pledge in the nine western states covered by the court.

This decision sets a dangerous precedent that could be followed by other judges across the country. We need to prevent future attacks like this one on our right to allow our children to say the pledge.

In response to this outrageous court decision, I immediately went to work to craft legislation to protect our Pledge of Allegiance. The next day, I introduced the Pledge of Allegiance Protection Amendment in the U.S. House of Representatives.

My Pledge Protection Amendment will protect the Pledge of Allegiance in America's schools by creating an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. It is my hope that this horrendous court decision will be overturned in the courts. But if for some reason the decision is upheld, then my bill will serve as a vehicle to protect the pledge and direct the courts to do the same in any future decisions.

I can't think of a better way to educate our children about America than with the Pledge of Allegiance. It teaches the ideals that our flag represents, and about the lives dedicated - and sometimes lost - to protect those ideals.

I hope that during your celebration of Independence Day you were reminded of the ideals that our country was founded upon. And I pray that we never forget that we are "one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."