Feds Erase “In God We Trust” From Face of Coins - Tiny Scratches on Edge Don’t Cut It
WASHINGTON, March 8, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Thomas More Law Center, a national pubic interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is encouraging the public not to use the newly issued Presidential $1 Coins, which have “In God We Trust” removed from the face of the coins.
Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Law Center, commented, “It is astounding that Congress has effectively done what atheist litigants have been unsuccessfully trying to do for years — erase all reference to God from our money.”
Continued Thompson, “I encourage the public not to use the coins, and petition Congress to repeal the law under which they are being minted. This is just another step on the road to a secular society where all religious symbols are removed from public view. Besides they look and feel cheap - - like amusement park tokens.”
The Presidential $1 Coin Act, enacted into law in 2005 requires the government to issue $1 circulating coins featuring the images of Presidents in the order they served. The first coin released this year features the image of George Washington. Coins with images of Adams, Jefferson, and Madison will also be issued in 2007. Four Presidents will be featured on the coins every year thereafter.
The 2005 law requires the United States Mint to place “In God We Trust” and “E Pluribus Unum” on the edges of these coins. The U.S. Mint refers to this as “edge-incused inscriptions.” Released photos of the edge with the motto “In God We Trust,” clearly misrepresent what one actually sees. In actuality the motto “In God We Trust” appears to be merely scratches on the edge of these coins, that is, unless one looks for it with a magnifying glass.
Also missing from the new coin is the word “Liberty” which is on our other coins. Most American do not like dollar coins. Other recent attempts to mint dollar coins instead of paper currency have failed. Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea coins are stacked unused in bank vaults. This time the government is involved in a so called “outreach program” to get more people to buy into dollar coin.
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‘In God We Trust’ Motto Faces New Legislative Scrutiny
The new Presidential $1 coins and the words “In God We Trust” are back in debate. A new legislative bill, S.2417, has been placed on the table and seeks changes to the motto’s placement.
Since the beginning of its mintage, the new dollar coin has faced extra scrutiny due solely to those powerful words, or lack of them. While a very small segment of the population would just as soon see the motto forever removed, most appreciate the significance of it appearing on coinage since the Civil War.
Then there are many who take issue with the new $1 coin’s design, believing the motto lacks prominence on its edge.
Mint errors with the Presidential $1 coins arose the public
The U.S. Mint inadvertently heated the situation further earlier in the year when some new Washington and Adam Presidential dollars started exiting Mint doors with the inscription completely missing. Or, in some cases, the letters were off center, weakly struck, partially struck, doubled or even inverted.
Hobbyist generally didn’t and don’t mind the Mint’s embarrassing blunders. Of the nearly billion presidential dollars minted this year, statistically speaking, the error coins classify as rarities. Many are worth more than their weight in gold. However, unlike past minted coin errors, the mistakes have appeared in mainstream news headlines.
That resulted in outrage from many who hadn’t yet seen a new Presidential $1. Some thought the new presidential dollars were purposely designed to exclude “In God We Trust”. At the very least, it awakened a call to take a closer look.
Previous attempts and the new legislative action to prominently display ‘In God We Trust’ on Presidential Dollars
Seeing the $1 coins in their own eyes and perhaps taking some heat from constituents, legislatures began entering bills and amendments to move “In God We Trust” from the coin’s edge to its face.
Finding and following each bill or amendment is like trying to put together a 10,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. And while bills and amendments have appeared, they seem to silently slip into forgetfulness.
The three that are at least most visible:
- H.R. 2510 - It was introduced May 24, 2007 by Rep. Virgil Goode, Jr. [R-VA] with the intent: To amend title 31, United States Code, to require the inscription “In God We Trust” to appear on a face of the $1 coins honoring each of the Presidents of the United States.
- House Amendment 483 to H.R. 2829 - It was proposed on June 28, 2007 by Rep. Wicker [R-MS], with the intent: To restore to the face, or the obverse, of the dollar coin the words “In God We Trust” and “E Pluribus Unum
- S.2417 - It was introduced on Dec. 5, 2007 by Sen. Brownback [R-KS], with the intent: To amend title 31, United States Code, to require the inscription “In God We Trust” to appear on a face of the $1 coins honoring each of the Presidents of the United States.
H.R. 2510 went into an apparent comma. House Amendment 483 passed by a vote of 295-127 on the same day it was introduced. Since then, action has disappeared. S.2417 was introduced just days ago and this time into the Senate. To date, it’s been read twice and referred to the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Given the history of previous attempts, the Vegas odds on it passing could be on the risky side.
