Amador County – A federal lawsuit was filed last week to block Congressman Dan Lungren’s resolution to engrave “In God We Trust,” and the Pledge of Allegiance at the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington D.C. Lungren, California's 3rd District representative, including Amador County, said in a release last week that he expected some unfounded opposition, despite a 410-8 vote by Representatives to pass his resolution. He said: “Despite the clear intent of the U.S. Congress, which overwhelmingly passed the resolution, we expected that there might be some frivolous objections.” Lungren said: “It is patently absurd to say that it is unconstitutional to place the National Motto in the (Capitol Visitor Center) when it currently adorns the rostrum of the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.” The motto adorns numerous Washington buildings, but it is part of the basis of the suit alleging a violation of the U.S. Constitution. The suit, filed July 14th in the U.S. District Court of western Wisconsin, alleged the terms “In God We Trust,” and “under God,” in the Pledge of Allegiance, when engraved on the walls of the visitor center, will violate the First Amendment. The resolution passed Congress July 9th by a landslide 410-8 vote, and a similar resolution passed in the Senate, sponsored by Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina. The Freedom From Religion Foundation announced on its website that it had filed a federal lawsuit July 14th “to stop the prominent engraving of ‘In God We Trust’ and the religious Pledge of Allegiance at the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C.” The suit’s plaintiffs, foundation co-Presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor, are suing Stephen Ayers, acting Architect of the Capitol, seeking to stop the engraving, on grounds of a violation of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution’s Establishment Clause. In the suit, Barker and Gaylor allege the visitor center is " an extension of the Capitol rather than a stand-alone facility” and is “intended to be … the sole point of entry to the seat of American government." The suit said “the history of the motto ‘In God We Trust’ evidences no secular purpose,” and “was first adopted during the Cold War (in 1956) as a reaction to the purported ‘Godlessness’ of Communism.” It said the motto “excludes and treats as outsiders the millions of adult Americans … who are not religious.” Gaylor and Barker’s suit said “the mandated language diminishes nonbelievers by making god-belief synonymous with citizenship.” Gaylor and Barker said the Freedom From Religion Foundation is an “organizational plaintiff” in the suit. Online, see www.visitthecapitol.gov. Story by Alex Lane This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.