Compromise offered on ‘God’ in flag certificates

In the wake of a controversy over flag certificates that eliminated the word “God,” the House Administration Committee moved Tuesday to propose a standardized certificate to accompany flags mailed out to citizens after having flown on the Hill.

The committee, which has oversight of the Architect of the Capitol (AoC), is considering allowing individual members to contribute personalized messages, which may contain religious references, to constituents on certificates, House Administration spokesman Kyle Anderson said. Currently, constituents may request that a particular message appear on their flag certificates.

{mosads}The proposed standardized certificate, issued by acting Architect of the Capitol Stephen Ayers, likely will follow the existing rule, which states, “religious expressions are not permitted on flag certificates.”

The largely Republican uproar began when Rep. Michael Turner (R-Ohio) condemned the AoC’s decision to eliminate the word “God” from a certificate mailed to one of his constituents, a 17-year-old who wished to honor his grandfather. The requested text was, “This flag was flown in honor of Marcel Larochelle, my grandfather, for his dedication and love of God, Country and family.” The end of the message on the certificate returned with the flag instead read, “for his dedication and love of Country and family.”

The potential compromise doesn’t go far enough, according to the congressman: “That’s completely unacceptable.
“In short, what they’re saying is that if the Architect has to use the name of God they would rather use nothing,” Turner said.

He said eliminating mentions of God from the certificates is a slippery slope, and could lead to other such omissions around the Capitol.

“The significance of this issue for the Architect is that he is the custodian of the Capitol and it puts at risk all of the other acknowledgements of God that are in the Capitol,” Turner said.

An AoC spokeswoman declined to comment.

House Administration panel Chairman Rep. Robert Brady (D-Pa.) said in a statement that he’s concerned about the way the rule on religion in certificates has been applied since it was formalized in 2003.

“We’re concerned that members have received inconsistent responses over the years on the regulations governing the content of certificates issued by the AoC for flags flown over the Capitol,” Brady said.

Dozens of lawmakers have come out against cutting religious references, including Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.).
“This officially sanctioned hostility against religion flies in the face of the constitutionally guaranteed right to the free exercise of religion,” Tancredo said in a statement.

A spokesman for Tancredo, T.Q. Houlton, said the issue cannot be compromised on. “They [constituents] should be allowed to have anything they want on the certificates,” he said. “If they want a reference to Buddha, that’s perfectly acceptable — they have a right to worship who they want.”

Turner sent letters to the AoC, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and President Bush. He said he has gathered support from 137 fellow members and expects that number to grow.

“The Speaker has expressed support for the compromise that House Administration has put forth,” said Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s press secretary.