Thursday, October 21, 2010

Quoting the Declaration of Independence

Just when I think maybe I’m being too hard on President Obama and that he really means the things he says when he talks about his faith and the freedoms we Americans have, and that he really does love and respect the United States of America, something else happens that makes me instantly wonder again. 
Four times since he’s taken office, twice in the last two weeks, President Obama has quoted the Declaration of Independence but has omitted one particular phrase from the quote.  The first time I gave him the benefit of the doubt and thought maybe he just forgot to say it.  Then, when it happened a second time, and a third, and now a fourth, it’s obvious it’s not just something he forgot.  He purposely leaves out a part of the Declaration that the founders put in.
The words left out by President Obama must have some significance to him.  There has to be a reason he leaves them out every time he repeats the quote.  That quote:  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  These are the exact words from the Declaration of Independence .   Yet, when Mr. Obama quotes that sentence he repeatedly says “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, that among those are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
President Obama, for some reason, leaves out the words “by their Creator” every time.  He recently spent some serious time trying to convince non-believing Americans that he was indeed a Christian and not Muslim.  If his Christian faith is so important to him, as he would have us believe, why would he leave out that particular phrase?  Why would he not give the credit to the Creator, as written, for those unalienable rights He has given to all Americans? 
Robert Gibbs was asked by Les Kinsolving, a White House correspondent, why the President omits the Creator in every quote.  Mr. Gibbs, in his typical Sergeant Shultz manner, said “I haven't seen the comments, Lester, but I can assure you the president believes in the Declaration of Independence.”  In other words (spoken with a German accent, with apologies to John Banner) “I know nothing, Nothing!”
Maybe he leaves them out so he doesn't offend those who disapprove of the words "by their Creator" in the Declaration of Independence.  Yet it's those rights that allow Obama to be President, and those others to voice their distaste with the words "by their Creator".  And statistics show there are more people in this country who believe in a Creator than who don't.
Not that Obama will care one way or the other, but I am personally offended by his continued omission of the words "by their Creator" when he quotes the Declaration of Independence.  Mr. President - if you're going to quote something, particularly something as incredibly important as the Declaration of Independence of the nation you were elected to serve, please quote it correctly.  If you can't, or won't do that, don't quote the document.  If you don't believe in those rights given by our Creator, step down and let someone lead us who believes in all we stand for.

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