California City to Add 'In God We Trust' to All Police and Fire Vehicles
Bakersfield, Calif. approves measure to add decals to emergency response vehicles
© press
The City Council of Bakersfield, California has approved a measure to add "In God We Trust" decals to all police and fire vehicles.
After much controversy, city officials signed the proposal on Wednesday.
“I love the motto,” Councilmember Jacquie Sullivan told The Bakersfield Californian.
“It’s meaningful. It’s powerful. Those words are intended to encourage.”
In God We Trust America, Sullivan’s non-profit organization, has offered to cover the costs for adding the decals.
U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who represents Bakersfield, says he fully supports the move.
“Displaying ‘In God We Trust’ — the official motto of the United States — on Bakersfield Police Department cars is a testament to each officer’s commitment to upholding the rule of law and defending the City of Bakersfield and its residents,” McCarthy said in a statement to The Californian.
© press
According to Fox News, lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union showed up at the city council meeting to oppose the proposal, calling it bad public policy.
“Unlike God, police officers are fallible,” ACLU lawyer Jordan Wells said.
“Their conduct should be scrutinized by the public, and when they overstep their authority, we must insist on accountability.”
One council member, Andrae Gonzales, said he is Christian but voted against the decals.
“The God I believe in is much bigger than a bumper sticker,” he said.
City council members in nearby Delano approved a proposal last month to add “In God We Trust” to police vehicles.
The city of Shafter, which borders Bakersfield, is expected to vote on a similar proposal later this month.
© press
The move comes in stark contrast to the recent anti-Christian push by the Democratic Party.
As Neon Nettle reported Thursday, House Democrats have now officially removed "so help me God" from the U.S. House of Representatives' oath.
Witnesses must take the oath when testifying before several of the congressional committees, which are under Democratic control.
According to the Draft earlier his year, the House Committee on Natural Resources would require witnesses to recite only:
"Do you solemnly swear or affirm, under penalty of law, that the testimony that you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"
Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen told The New York Times he finds the phrase inappropriate for Congress.
"I think God belongs in religious institutions: in temple, in church, in cathedral, in mosque — but not in Congress," said Cohen.
"And God doesn’t want to be used."
