MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2004 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Little, Albritton, Brown, Browning, Burton, Butler, Carmichael, Chamberlin, Chaney, Clarke, Cuevas, Dawkins, Dearing, Doxey, Flowers, Frazier, Gollott, Gordon, Harden, Hewes, Jackson (11th), Jackson (15th), Jackson (32nd), Jordan, King, Kirby, Lee (35th), Lee (47th), Mettetal, Michel, Moffatt, Morgan, Nunnelee, Pickering, Posey, Robertson, Ross, Thames, Thomas, Tollison, Walley, Wilemon, Williamson, Hyde-Smith
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION MEMORIALIZING THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES TO AMEND THE CONSTITUTION TO PROTECT THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND OUR NATIONAL MOTTO.
WHEREAS, this nation was founded by people seeking a place where they could practice their religion freely; and
WHEREAS, the first settlers found themselves in a strange and strenuous land which required them to call upon the strength of their God and to place themselves in His trust; and
WHEREAS, our founding fathers, in creating our national Constitution, assured the freedom of choice in one's practice of religion. However, our national leaders in times of stress have called upon our belief and trust in a Superior Being to see this nation through difficult times, and have acknowledged the continuous presence of God by inscribing on our currency the reassuring phrase "In God We Trust" and by including the phrase "one Nation under God" in our pledge of allegiance; and
WHEREAS, the strength of a nation can be measured in its citizens' desire for domestic tranquility and in their abiding belief in a Supreme Being. Accordingly, it is urged upon the Congress of the United States that this basic requirement of a great nation be recognized by amending our Constitution as follows:
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), that the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the Legislatures of three-fourths of the several states within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification.
Section 1. The first Amendment of the Constitution of the United States shall not be construed to prohibit the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, which shall be, "I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Section 2. The first Amendment to the Constitution of the United States shall not be construed to prohibit the recitation or use of the national motto, which shall be, "In God We Trust"; and
WHEREAS, we urge Congress to pass this Constitutional Amendment and to send it on to the individual states for their approval:
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we memorialize the Congress of the United States to seek a Constitutional Amendment to protect the pledge of allegiance and our national motto.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be directed to provide an enrolled copy of this resolution to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress and to each member of the Mississippi Congressional Delegation.