Because he has nothing better to do, Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) has introduced H. Res. 211:

Expressing support for designation of the first weekend of May as Ten Commandments Weekend to recognize the significant contributions the Ten Commandments have made in shaping the principles, institutions, and national character of the United States. … Resolved, That the House of Representatives– (1) supports the designation of Ten Commandments Weekend; (2) celebrates the significant role the Ten Commandments have played in the development of significant public and private institutions of the United States; and (3) encourages citizens of all faiths and religious persuasions to reflect on the important impact that the Ten Commandments have had on the people and national character of the United States.

Just in time for the National Day of Prayer…

Chris Rodda, who’s always on top of these things, notes that similar resolutions have been proposed in the past — and quickly shot down — but there’s one big difference with this one:

While the Democrats controlled the committees, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the committee to whom resolutions like this are typically referred, did a good job of keeping these resolutions from even getting to the floor for a vote. But now, with the Republicans in control, and eight members of Rep. Randy Forbes’s (R-VA) Congressional Prayer Caucus, including Louie Gohmert, on this committee, I’m nowhere near as confident that this resolution will be stalled as I was last year. After all, we just saw the House Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee on the Constitution order that Forbes’s resolution “Reaffirming ‘In God We Trust’ as the official motto of the United States,” and supporting “the public display of the national motto in all public buildings, public schools, and other government institutions” be sent to the floor for a voice vote.

I’m still trying to figure out what the first four Commandments have to do with our laws…

It’s times like this I really miss George Carlin. He destroyed any respect I might have had for the Ten Commandments in a matter of minutes.



