--- The Fool <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/B?r108:@FIELD(FLD003+s)[EMAIL PROTECTED](DDATE+20030730)
<massive snippage> > The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois. > > Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, to those of us who > have been given this > great honor to serve in the Senate, there is a > moment when we are asked > to take the oath of office. In taking that oath of > office, we swear to > uphold one document. That document, of course, is > the Constitution of the United States of America. > > We are not asked our religion, nor our beliefs in > our religion. We are > only asked if we will take an oath to God that we > will uphold this > Constitution. All of us take it very seriously and > all of us take the > wording of this Constitution very seriously because > within this small > document are words that have endured for more than > two centuries... <snip> > ...Those are very absolute and clear words. I am a > Catholic, born and > raised. My mother and father were Catholics. My > children have been raised in the Catholic faith... <snip> > John Kennedy, a Catholic, went to Texas to a > Baptist convention to > tell those gathered that his first allegiance as > President was to the > United States and not to any religion. He said: I > believe in America >where the separation of church and State is absolute. <snip> > But for us to be told repeatedly by the other > side of the aisle that > to oppose William Pryor is to be against him because > he is Catholic is > just plain wrong, and I resent it. I resent it > because, frankly, there > are many reasons to oppose his nomination--because > of his political beliefs. <snip> > At his confirmation hearing, Senator Feinstein > asked him to explain his statement that: > > ..... the challenge of the next millennium will > be to preserve the > American experiment by restoring its Christian > perspective. > > He ducked the question. > > I think if you are going to serve this Nation and > you are going to > serve this Constitution, you have to have some > sensitivity to the > diversity of religious belief in this country. To > argue that this is a > Christian nation--it may have been in its origin but > today it is a nation > of great diversity. That diversity is protected by > this Constitution. > Obviously, Mr. Pryor has some problems in grasping > that concept. <snip> > There was one case involving inmates' rights > which I thought was > particularly noteworthy. He has been a vocal > opponent of the right of > criminal defendants. In Hope v. Pelzer, Attorney > General Pryor vigorously > defended Alabama's practice of handcuffing prison > inmates to outdoor > hitching posts for hours without water or access to > bathrooms. The > Supreme Court rejected Mr. Pryor's arguments citing > the ``obvious cruelty > inherent in the practice,'' and calling the practice > ``antithetical to > human dignity'' and circumstances ``both degrading > and dangerous.'' <snip> > I hope and pray that before we utter the next > sentence in relation to > the Pryor nomination that each of us who has taken > an oath to uphold this > Constitution will stop and read article VI: > > No religious test shall ever be required as a > qualification to any > office or public trust in the United States. > > Those words have guided our Nation for over 200 > years. They should guide each of us in good >conscience. There's one man who understands how important the separation of church and state are to this country's success - and survival. Debbi __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
