STEVE KING’S LONE VOICE OF MADNESS…. The U.S. House voted on a measure this week to instruct the Capitol Visitors Center to honor the role slaves played in building the U.S. Capitol. It seemed pretty uncontroversial — the Visitor Center will now feature a plaque acknowledging the work of those who constructed the building against their will. The vote was 399 to 1.
The lone voice of dissent came from Rep. Steve King (R). And why, pray tell, did the right-wing Iowan stand alone in opposition, knowing full well it would pass anyway? Because he wants the Capitol Visitors Center to feature the phrase “In God We Trust,” and didn’t like the idea of Democrats honoring the work of slaves while he’s trying to mix church and state.
His statement on this read, in part:
“Last night I opposed yet another bill to erect another monument to slavery because it was used as a bargaining chip to allow for the actual depiction of ‘In God We Trust’ in the CVC. The Architect of the Capitol and liberal activists opposed every reference to America’s Christian heritage, even to the extent of scrubbing ‘In God We Trust’ from the depiction of the actual Speaker’s chair in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“This is just the latest example of a several year effort by liberals in Congress to scrub references to America’s Christian heritage from our nation’s Capitol. Liberals want to amend our country’s history to eradicate the role of Christianity in America and chisel references to God or faith from our historical buildings.
“Our Judeo-Christian heritage is an essential foundation stone of our great nation and should not be held hostage to yet another effort to place guilt on future Americans for the sins of some of their ancestors.”
Notice phrases like “yet another” and “place guilt,” which suggest a degree of annoyance on King’s part about acknowledging slavery at all.
This from a clownish, far-right Republican whose record on race is a genuine disgrace.
