The Haven, Kan., City Council voted to remove “In God We Trust” decals from police vehicles last week thanks to a measure introduced by Councilmember Sandra Williams. She emphasized that the police department was an improper place to be having conversations about God.
“In God We Trust” was belatedly adopted as a motto when President Eisenhower signed legislation at the behest of the Knights of Columbus and other religious entities, which undertook a national lobbying campaign during the height of 1950s zealotry. The original inclusionary U.S. motto, chosen by a distinguished committee of Jefferson, Franklin and Adams, is the Latin E Pluribus Unum (From Many, [Come] One). As FFRF principal founder Anne Gaylor always pointed out, the religious motto isn’t even correct: “To be accurate it would have to read ‘In God Some of Us Trust,’ and wouldn’t that be silly?”
Please take the time to contact the Haven City Councilmembers to thank them for voting to unanimously remove the exclusionary motto from the police cars.
To contact the Haven City Council, the members’ names, emails and phone numbers can be found here.
TALKING POINTS
As a nonreligious Kansan, I want to thank you for standing up for secular government by voting to remove “In God We Trust” decals from Haven police vehicles. Councilmember Sandra Williams was correct in saying that the police department was an inappropriate forum to discuss God. Thank you for standing up for our secular Constitution.
