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Alaskan Congressman Don Young signed onto a letter today addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Architect of the Capitol, Mr. Stephen T. Ayers, in response to a heinous act of censorship. In a troubling decision orchestrated by the Architect, the word "God" has been omitted from the flag certificates which accompany flags flown over the United States Capitol Building.

Having a flag flown over the U.S. Capitol to commemorate an important date or event is among the favored constituent services provided by Congressional representatives. Requests have been made to have the phrase "for the love of God, family, and Country" inscribed on a flag certificate, however the word "God" has been purposely censored from this request due to its religious expression. In a building with references to God throughout, and in a Country whose founding is based on the words "In God We Trust," the Architect, the essential caretaker of the building, is setting a dangerous precedent. The letter to the Speaker and the Architect asks that the rule on religious references be amended to reflect the true sentiment of the Country and not the personal beliefs of the Architect.

"I think it is extremely shameful that this kind of censorship is taking place, especially in the People’s House," said Rep. Young. "First they tried to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance, and now they are trying to remove Him from the Capitol, the building where the laws of our land are laid. It is unacceptable. We must not continuously allow the 9^{th Circuit Court of Appeals to impose its San Francisco beliefs onto the rest of the country. For some reason, in this country it has become acceptable to throw around racial slurs, and derogatory comments, but references to God frighten some. Our Founding Fathers built this Nation on the belief that all things were equal ‘under God.’ The disrespect being shown by this decision is beyond measure. I hope the Speaker and the Architect take this letter very seriously, and rethink this reckless decision."}