“God” not allowed on U.S. Flag Certificates

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October 11, 2007

“God”not allowed on U.S. Flag Certificates

by Scott Presson

Every year more than 100,000 constituents request flags flown over the US Capitol. Along with the flags are certificates which state that the flag was flown "in honor of (name) and his dedication and love of God, country and family."

According to The Conservative Voice dot com, Representative Michael R.Turner of Ohio said one of his constituents, Paul Larochelle, recently requested to receive a flag that had flown over the Capitol. The Larochelle family had hoped to present the flag and the accompanying certificate to his grandfather, an Army veteran.

"The Larochelles wanted the certificate's inscription to read, in part: ‘In honor of my grandfather, Marcel Larochelle, and his dedication and love of God, country and family.” However, when Rep. Turner received the flag and the certificate from the architect of the U.S. Capitol's office, which handles the Capitol flag program, the word ‘God’ had been eliminated.

Turner said he requested an explanation from the architect's office, “which cited one of its 14 Flag Office Services rules. The rule states, ‘... religious expressions are not permitted on flag certificates.’"

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office responded by saying the matter will be cleared up.

Lawmakers are asking Pelosi to review the authority under which the architect's office made the rules and that the policy ‘which censors our citizens' right to expressions of their faith’ be reversed.

But the Speaker has defended the Architect of the Capitol's refusal to allow "God" on flag certificates.

Yesterday, the House Administration Committee, which has oversight of the Architect of the Capitol (AoC), moved to propose a standardized certificate to accompany flags mailed out to citizens after having flown on Capitol Hill.

Published reports say that the committee 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.

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.”
Meanwhile Republicans are demanding that "God" be returned to the flag certificates mailed out.

Republican Representatives complained to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that the "architect" had no authority by which to cross out "God."

"’This is an abuse of power, plain and simple. Using the nonpartisan position of maintaining the Capitol to decide what citizens can have written on their flag certificates is unacceptable," a Representative stated.

Rep. Turner told the Cleveland Plain Dealer he will continue seeking signatures for his letter asking Pelosi to overturn the policy.

"We have the responsibility for these common-sense issues that might arise with flag inscriptions, and this one is basic," Turner said. "The architect has decided the word 'God' is offensive. This rule should not be allowed to stand."