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Wednesday, December 27, 2006
It’s not what you take the oath on, it’s whether you mean it
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
While we were away, there was a furor over the comments by Rep. Virgil Goode (R-Va.) objecting to newly elected Rep. Keith Ellison’s intention to use the Koran for his swearing-in ceremony. Ellison is the first Muslim ever elected to Congress.
All this got us to wondering what Hank Johnson, the newly elected congressman from the 4th District, was going to take his oath on.
Although it has received a lot less attention, Johnson and a Democrat from Hawaii, Mazie Hirono, this year became the nation’s first Buddhists to be elected to Congress.
“Hank won’t talk about his religion. He never has. He considers it a private matter,” his press secretary, Deb Speights, said.
But Speights did tell us that Johnson plans to use a traditional Bible to take his oath of office.
Actually, the members don’t put their hands on anything for their formal oath, which they do in a group, Speights said. But they use Bibles – and Ellison will use the Koran – for the photos they use to record the momentous occasion.
