With Thanksgiving behind us and Christmas before us, we are reminded once again of the integrated ways in which our Creator has had a role in our culture from the beginning. But will it stay that way?
As far back as the Declaration of Independence, our Founders affirmed together, "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."
Almost 235 years later, however, some media caught how President Barack Obama twice omitted the words "by their Creator" when reciting the declaration in speeches over the past several weeks.
But I discovered actually seven presidential "Creator" omissions in just the past few months!
—On Oct. 21 at a rally for Sen. Patty Murray in Seattle:
"None of us would be here if it weren't for that extraordinary leap of faith that had been taken. Thirteen colonies deciding to start a revolution based on an idea that had never been tried before — a government of and by and for the people, a government based on the simple proposition that all men are created equal, that we're endowed with certain inalienable rights."
—On Oct. 18 at a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee dinner in Rockville, Md.:
"It has to do with this idea that was started by 13 colonies that decided to throw off the yoke of an empire and said, 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that each of us are endowed with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.'"
—On Oct. 17 at a reception for Gov. Ted Strickland in Chagrin Fall, Ohio:
"The idea of America has never been easy. The notion of 13 colonies coming together and overthrowing the greatest empire in the world and then drafting a document that says 'we find these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, endowed with certain inalienable rights' — that's hard."
—On Sept. 22 at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee/DSCC dinner in New York:
"And what was sustaining us was that sense that ... if we stay true to our values, if we believe that all people are created equal and everybody is endowed with certain inalienable rights and we're going to make those words live and we're going to give everybody opportunity, everybody a ladder into the middle class..."
—On Sept. 15 at the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute's 33rd Annual Awards Gala in Washington:
"Over the centuries, what eventually bound us together — what made us all Americans — was not a matter of blood; it wasn't a matter of birth. It was faith and fidelity to the shared values that we all hold so dear. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, endowed with certain inalienable rights: life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
—On Sept. 11 at the Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Va.:
"For our cause is just. Our spirit is strong. Our resolve is unwavering. Like generations before us, let us come together today and all days to affirm certain inalienable rights, to affirm life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
—On Sept. 10 at the president's news conference at the White House:
"With respect to the mosque in New York, I think I've been pretty clear on my position here, and that is that this country stands for the proposition that all men and women are created equal, that they have certain inalienable rights; one of those inalienable rights is to practice their religion freely."
Thank God that President Obama got it right July 4 from the White House's Blue Room balcony: "And here in a still-young century, let us renew our commitment to stand with those around the world who, like us, still believe in that simple yet revolutionary notion that we are all endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights."
When Les Kinsolving, WorldNetDaily's correspondent at the White House, asked press secretary Robert Gibbs why Obama had omitted "by their Creator," Gibbs' only explanation was, "I haven't seen the comments, Lester, but I can assure you the president believes in the Declaration of Independence."
Is that a reasonable excuse and explanation to you? Is omitting "by their Creator" from direct quotes of the declaration in several speeches a permissible, benign act of the president of the United States?
To me, it is not only what a man includes but also what he omits that tells you everything about him. As Leo F. Buscaglia once said, "things omitted are often more deadly than errors committed."
Even more apropos words the president might heed came from 20th-century American novelist William Faulkner, who said, "Tomorrow night is nothing but one long sleepless wrestle with yesterday's omissions and regrets."
(Next week, I will not only discuss another significant Creator omission overlooked by mainstream media but also inform you about how you can join people like my wife, Gena, and me — including Charlie Daniels, Stephen Baldwin and Tony Dorsett — in ensuring that future presidents and generations are not avoidant or ashamed of the Creator, in whom our Founders trusted in the dawn of our republic.)
To find out more about Chuck Norris and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
