Steve King: I Opposed "Yet Another Bill" To Commemorate Slavery, In Order To Protect Judeo-Christian Heritage
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) has released a statement explaining why he opposed a House measure to erect a plaque in the Capitol Visitors Center, recognizing the history of slave labor in the construction of the Capitol. King was the only one to vote "No," and it passed by a 399-1 margin.
King says that he "opposed yet another bill to erect another monument to slavery," because Democrats had used it as a bargaining chip with Republicans who wanted to secure the depiction of the words "In God We Trust" in the Visitors Center -- that America's Judeo-Christian heritage was being held hostage:
"In the Capitol Visitor's Center, we agreed to change the name of the Great Hall - which honored the immigrants that came legally to America - to Emancipation Hall to honor the 645,000 slaves and their descendants who were brought to the United States more than two centuries ago.
"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. Christian abolitionists gave their lives by the hundreds of thousands to end slavery. Great American leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worshipped God just as our Founding Fathers did. We must never forget this important aspect of our heritage or use it as a political bargaining chip."
Late Update: DCCC national press secretary Ryan Rudominer gives us this statement: "Steve King's lone vote against acknowledging the role slaves played in the construction of the United States Capitol is a slap in the face to the very sacrifices and contributions African Americans made to our nation. This is the latest in a long line of erratic behavior from King that has made him an embarrassment to Iowans and to the Republican Party."
Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
Huh?
I mean really. WTF is he saying here? "Scrubbing from the depiction of the actual Speaker's chair"? What? He voted against this legislation because something was "scrubbed" from a "depiction"? WAs it? Can someone translate this gobbledy-gook?
On the bright side, Steve-o must be catching some real heat, if he felt the need to release a statement explaining (sic) why he voted the way he did.
July 8, 2009 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm trying to figure out how, exactly, acknowledging slavery constitutes eradicating America's Christian heritage. Does he just not know what all those big words actually mean?
July 8, 2009 5:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
He knows what each individually means. All of them strung together like that? Not so much.
July 8, 2009 7:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, it's simple:
America is a "Christian" country. If you are godless, you're not an American. Also, if you're Jewish, you're not an American (but we have been advised not to go there, publicly... but we know!). Also, if you're Muslim... well, use your head!
As for slavery, Jesus (whose life and works are exclusively represented by right-wing Republicans in America) is in favor of slavery, capital punishment (and please, don't bring up that tacky crucifixion thing), segregation, and a host of other things that liberals find abhorrent. Jesus was for them. Or against them, as needed.
As Jesus is not around to assert these things, you'll have to take the right-wing "Christian" Republicans' word for it, as they are Good Christians, and therefore, they are following the Word of God.
Now, I hope you un-American, dirty heathens have learned something, today.
July 9, 2009 11:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for the clarification. Now I think I understand. LOL!
July 9, 2009 1:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
I dunno about the Speaker's chair; I do know that there was a flap about inscribing "In God We Trust" in the visitor's center a while back at the insistence of the Christianists. If he's saying that the dispute was settled in favor of the Christianists in return for the plaque in question, is he saying he's welching on the deal because he resents having to concede anything?
This is the problem with these guys; a century and a half ago, they used a national crisis to convince people to put "In God We Trust" on a coin; a century later, they wangled that into making it an official motto; and now they figure they have the right to slap it on anything that isn't moving.
July 8, 2009 6:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
is he saying he's welching on the deal because he resents having to concede anything?
I think so, but it's really hard to tell from this. It sounds like in return for this monument, the Dems agreed to "In God We Trust" being metaphorically spray-painted across the Capital Dome, but Steve-o is balking because, um, that's a bargaining chip?
July 8, 2009 7:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Okay, good. So I wasn't the only one who noticed that what he was saying made absolutely no damn sense whatsoever.
Reminds me of Jack van Impe. Watching him and his wife (who is clearly on some kind of major anti-psychotic like thorazine) is always a fascinating tour through the fundie psychie. He just kind of strings random ideas with no evident connection together into obstensible paragraphs and somehow the fact that he throws in a few religious nut code words is supposed to make them connected. It's like listening to a schizophrenic describe the universe he lives in.
July 8, 2009 8:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here is some clarification:
http://learfield.typepad.com/radioiowa/2009/07/king-explains-no-vote-on-honoring-slaves.html
Apparently, there is a picture in the capitol visitors center of the House Chamber. According to King, they airbrushed the "In God We Trust" that is above the Speaker's chair our of the picture.
You can see it here, for example:
http://www.brookskraft.com/content/photos/lifestyles2AA.jpg
After that, I get a little confused. I think that maybe King was upset that he had to vote for this resolution to get the "In God We Trust" put back into the picture?
In any case, I do find it odd that they would airbrush a picture like this. I wonder if he is even right. He really just sounds crazy and his language is odd.
FWIW, I think they should just erase the damn phrase from the chamber itself.
July 9, 2009 10:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for the links.
Excuse my language, but he's fucking nuts. Slaves were legal immigrants? Hello?
And I, for one, have serious doubts that anything was airbrushed out of anything. As someone said about him, he's won the Bachmann Loony Tunes Award for this week.
July 9, 2009 12:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
I searched around, and can't really find verification of the missing "In God We Trust". Senator DeMint did give a speech in the Senate about it, but that doesn't mean much. Lots of right wing cites mention it, but no picture, as far as I can tell.
July 9, 2009 3:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Fuck your god. This guy is a loud and proud racist.
July 8, 2009 4:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
My read on this is that he didn't know what he was voting against because he is so stupid and racist!
July 8, 2009 4:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wouldn't actually call him a racist. But the dumb part is definitely true, as well as totally insensitive. It's typical of the conspiracy-minded rightwing grassroots. This whole group reflexively opposes anything that might challenge their narrow definition of what is moral, Christian, patriotic or wholesome. Even Ron Paul, who typically votes against anything symbolic and probably deep down had misgivings about this, didn't vote against it because of the signal it would send. King really thinks he's standing on a lofty principle here and is proud to say it.
July 9, 2009 9:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
King's other cause of bigotry is against immigration and having English as the official language of this country Other posts have referred to him and his soul mate from Minnesota (Bachmann, who fortunately moved out of Iowa) as batshit crazy. I think it would be better to call him guano loco.
July 8, 2009 4:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Strange, is it not, that these God-and-country types say they want small government, but want it to force everybody within our borders to speak the language chosen by the right? They are not for freedom at all.
July 9, 2009 11:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's ironic that this cultural Neanderthal probably doesn't believe in evolution, because his own existence is a good argument that evolution isn't happening in humans. Put him back 40-odd years ago and he would be filibustering the Civil Rights Act.
July 8, 2009 6:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Naw, this is proof that those who don't evolve end up in the unpopular minority :-).
July 9, 2009 2:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
At least he's calling slavery a sin I suppose. Of course slave supporters believed God and the Bible upheld slavery laws, so it's not surprising those of the same ilk are still using religion today to justify themselves.
July 8, 2009 6:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
How's this for Judeo-Christian tradition:
Ani Mitzta'er (masc.) Ani Mitzta'eret (fem.)
Means, "I'm sorry."
July 8, 2009 6:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
It remains unclear to me what "Judeo-Christian" even means, aside from a hack rhetorical bromide that cynically suggests an interfaith diversity where none really exists.
July 9, 2009 8:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
It means 'us,' as opposed to 'them.' 'They' are certainly out to get 'us.'
July 9, 2009 2:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
This behavior is typical of a Congressman whose campaign regularly contacts top officers of private corporations out of his district and offering the promise to "honor" said officer as a pretext for a financial donation to his campaign. It's all to keep "liberals like Nancy Pelosi" from ruining the country, of course. The guy should be investigated.
July 8, 2009 6:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
This motherfucker's nuts.
July 8, 2009 7:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nah. He's a goddamn racist. Ascribing a mental illness to him lets him off the hook.
July 8, 2009 7:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Racism is a mental illness, in my estimation.
July 8, 2009 7:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Touche.
July 8, 2009 7:46 PM | Reply | Permalink
In case anyone isn't aware of what a racist asshole King is, Think Progress had a pretty good rundown of some of his previous comments. Here's one example:
In comments typical of his xenophobic and hateful record, Rep. Steve King (R-IA) recently told a local Iowa radio station that al Qaeda would “be dancing in the middle of the streets” if Barack Obama were elected President “because of his middle name.” He said terrorists “will be dancing in the streets because of who his father was and because of his posture that says: Pull out of the Middle East and pull out of this conflict.”
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/08/steve-king-record/
July 8, 2009 7:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
I mean, Michelle Bachmann voted for this bill! I didn't know there was anybody wackier than her serving in the House, but I was wrong.
Hope he gets the white sheets cleaned for his re-election campaign next year.
July 8, 2009 7:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Ron Paul is as bad, probably even worse. He is simply smoother in how he presents it - these days, anyway. And of course, Tom DeLay isn't in Congress any more, but if he were he'd be joining this party also.
I really don't think that the Democrats have anyone quite at this level of idiocy. Remember, these people are all elected by "identy" voters who think they'll vote for this turkey because "(S)He's just like me."
July 8, 2009 11:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Steve King is easily as wacky as Michelle Bachmann and probably more. I'm embarassed he is from Iowa. Ron Paul is at least occasionally right or makes an interesting point but that would be too much to hope for with King.
July 9, 2009 5:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
"This is the latest in a long line of erratic behavior from King that has made him an embarrassment to Iowans and to the Republican Party."
Not really. If Iowans were embarrassed, they'd vote him out. As for the GOP, there aren't too many left in it who don't agree with him, at least behind closed doors.
Personally, I'd love to see him run as a "favorite son" in the Iowa caucuses in '12.
July 8, 2009 8:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, most of us ARE embarrassed. That's the thing about Reps; they can embarrass their whole state to outsiders even though they only represent a fraction of it -- in this case one-fifth. Grassley, of course, we do all have to take the blame for. He's a huge dickhead, but slightly saner than King.
The best thing would be if King would run and get the GOP nomination for Governor next year and then get trounced, but Fat Boy Culver is so unpopular he may not be able to pull out a win.
July 9, 2009 12:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Christian abolitionists gave their lives by the hundreds of thousands to end slavery."
What the hell is he talking about here?! Is he saying all the Union soldiers who died were "Christian abolitionists" trying to destroy slavery?! Wow, that is just absolutely stunning in its ignorance of American Civil War history. Just stunning.
July 8, 2009 8:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thousands maybe. Tens of thousands possibly, especially if you count the ones who died of camp diseases.
Hundreds of thousands? Must have been something like the miracle of the fishes, except with corpses instead of bread and fish.
July 8, 2009 8:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
He must have been bouncing around like a ball in a pinball machine when the unanimous IA Supreme Court legalized gay marriage.
July 8, 2009 8:34 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well ... JeffGee . . .
Now that you brought it up.
Here's King's twisted pretzel logic . . .
Ah yes.... Bullying. The victim card is played.
I'm never surprised.
~OGD~
July 9, 2009 6:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is typical of people and governments. When the truth makes us uncomfortable or exposes wrongdoing we try and change it.
Nothing new.
Been happening forever.
And harming people forever.
Invariably involving powerful people
In telling a lie.
July 8, 2009 8:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
I have a compromise: How about a plaque that says "American Christians forced slaves to build this Capitol building. In their Christian churches, the Christian founding fathers justified their right to kidnap, sell, rape, murder, and enslave human beings using the words from their Christian bibles." Surely King would go for that. It’s a win/win, acknowledging the important contributions of both slaves and Christians in the Capitol's proud history.
July 8, 2009 10:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Excellent.
July 8, 2009 11:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree, excellent.
July 9, 2009 12:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
Look, Steve King is a racist. Sometimes that word gets flung about, but in this case, it's completely accurate. He's a racist shitbag, and his district re-elects him knowing that he's a racist shitbag.
July 8, 2009 11:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Dear Representative King,
I think it's appropriate to point out that you're more effectively protecting the heritage of the Pharos, not that of the Judeo-Christian community.
Please stop trying to hang your racism on our backs.
Thank you.
July 9, 2009 1:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
We don't have to look too far into our Christian ancestry to see some of its heritage, such as torturing other human beings, holding folks without trial indefinitely, protecting those who have criminalized our great office of President of the United States, attacking other countries without reason, causing the deaths of a multitude of innocent women and children...
You really don't need history at all too see what so called Christians have done to this once great nation of ours...
... and apparently will continue to do, since we no longer are able to punish, or even prosecute the "important people"... IMHO
July 9, 2009 2:23 AM | Reply | Permalink
Perhaps Steve King missed a little something those fervently religious founders put in the Constitution that bars the US government from establishing religion.
July 9, 2009 2:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
Shorter Steve King: "We should never use recognition of our religious heritage as a bargaining chip. Therefore, I'm going to use recognition of our religious heritage as a bargaining chip."
Real classy, Steve.
July 9, 2009 2:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
Put into the context of his medieval world view....
King must think racists go to heaven.
King must think God is a racist.
At least - he better HOPE He is.
July 9, 2009 6:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'd like to know where, the hell all these "monuments" to slavery are? I'd like to visit them. It would be an interesting learning experience.
Perhaps I should contact Rep. King's office and ask for a guide book.
July 9, 2009 6:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
DCCC national press secretary Ryan Rudominer gives us this statement: Steve King's lone vote "is a slap in the face to the very sacrifices and contributions African Americans made to our nation".
Why to African Americans? If its inappropriate to AA its inappropriate period. Common decency has no racial prerogative and lets not fall in that trap.
July 9, 2009 6:54 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'll just take comfort in the fact that history will remember this lone vote for what it really was.
July 9, 2009 7:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
The term "Judeo-Christian heritage" has filled me with revulsion for over 50 years.
This is NOT a term used by Christians or Jews with honest and humane beliefs and values informed by their faith. It is almost ALWAYS flogged by religious hypocrites who misuse religion as a fig leaf for their spiritual inferiority, and as part of their arsenal of atavistic, anti-spiritual bigotry. Before people who are not of the Steve King ilk use the term, they should think about its fundamantal dishonesty.
July 9, 2009 8:41 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wait a sec! This all makes sense, now. Take a close look at King. Isn't he Putin's long lost older brother?
Thanks to Shrub, we have seen Putin's soul. Seems a dead ringer for King's soul, too.
July 9, 2009 9:01 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Judeo-Christian heritage" has always struck me as a term of art intended to promote the idea of America as a Christian country without pissing off the Jews too much.
As for "Christian abolitionists," there were some, but there were a lot more Christians who quoted scripture to justify slavery. Easy to do, since the Bible does in fact assume slavery as norm of society. It was, after all, written by slave-owning societies.
Seems that God changed his mind about slavery after the Bible was written. Kind of surprising for an eternal and unchanging being.
July 9, 2009 9:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
I suspect "Judeo-Christian" is a euphemism for neo-conservative support of Zionism, and the mistaken idea that Christianity and Zionism are somehow Biblically linked.
July 9, 2009 11:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
I hear he also wants Metallica banned, to protect Tin Hat wearers everywhere!
July 9, 2009 9:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
o goody, another high profile Republican revealing to the American public that he's completly off his rocker.
July 9, 2009 10:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is actually a slur against Christianity. Really, I don't see any other way to view it. The man says that admitting slave labor was used somehow implicates Christianity, as if they were slaves because of Christianity.
I don't believe that's true. Steve King is pretty whacked out.
July 9, 2009 10:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
The Constitution specifically says that there should be no religious test for holding a public office. There is apparently no intelligence test as is shown by the election of Steve King, Michelle Bachmann and Senator Inhofe.
July 9, 2009 10:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
"In the Capitol Visitor's Center, we agreed to change the name of the Great Hall - which honored the immigrants that came legally to America - to Emancipation Hall to honor the 645,000 slaves and their descendants who were brought to the United States more than two centuries ago."
Is this guy really complaining that the slaves were illegal, undocumented immigrants?
July 9, 2009 10:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
Is he protecting Christian values, or Judeo-Christian values? He needs to get his story straight. I am very leary of anyone who claims to be protecting Judeo-Christian values, they never seem to be of the "Judeo" persuasion.
July 9, 2009 10:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
He did all this because he is a BIGOT and a RACIST. Classic Old-South politician...George Wallace style...
July 9, 2009 11:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
As an observant Jew, I'm totally mystified by the phrase "Judeo-Christian." I have no idea what it means, because Judaism has very little in common with Christianity (other than trying to run away and hide from it so the Christians can't kill us any more). Yes, we pray to the same God, but not in the same way. I wish Christians would simply leave us alone.
July 9, 2009 11:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
tomfodw, Christians... actual Christians... do leave you alone. And don't want to kill you, at all.
It's just that they've been infiltrated by these Christianist doppelgangers, who purport to be Christians, but are really of the same repressive, politically-motivated, theocratic mindset of the type of religious establishment (Jewish division) that had Jesus killed, in the first place.
By labeling themselves "Christian", you're supposed to have no clue what dangerous and awful people they are (although, methinks you do!).
July 9, 2009 11:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
Steve King is an embarrassment to Iowa.
The GOP thing is "in God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash."
July 9, 2009 1:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Liberals want to . . . chisel references to God or faith from our historical buildings."
Two things:
1. No one is suggesting the chiseling AWAY of anything. The issue is putting in NEW references to God.
2. Can he point to any "references to God or faith" that exists on "our historical buildings" when they were built? As far as I know (and I could be wrong), but how many such references were put there prior to the 20th century?
July 9, 2009 2:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
"In the Capitol Visitor's Center, we agreed to change the name of the Great Hall - which honored the immigrants that came legally to America - to Emancipation Hall to honor the 645,000 slaves and their descendants who were brought to the United States more than two centuries ago."
Another fucking hypocrite loon. And note the careful language -- immigrants that came LEGALLY to America.
So answer a question foul-mouthed jackass: did the slaves not come "legally" because slavery was illegal? -- well, gollleee goober, it was legal.
So it must be that the weren't white that made them ILLEGAL immigrants.
Why not just call them "temp. workers" and send them back from whence they stealthily stole illegally into Amurrca?
As for the "Christian-Heritage" assertion:
1. When the US was founded there were, as concerns "Christian," many different sects, each of which claiming to be the One True Religion, including the dreaded "Papists"/Roman Catholics.
2. It was founded upon a Constitution which expressly seaprates gov't and religion.
3. The only way ackowledgement of the fact of slavery (having been legal -- even in the Constitution cited) can "damage" our fictional "Judeo-Christian heritage" is to expose it as being a fraud and a lie on and behind which slavery was conducted.
July 10, 2009 3:35 PM | Reply | Permalink