I don’t get a lot of emails forwarded to me, but when I do, I am immediately cynical. Just as with anything, one needs to take the time to look at the entire subject matter and not just take a snippet of something and go off the handle about it.
I recently received an email about how the new dollar coins (they’re bringing those things back again?? Didn’t the first dollar coin experiment FAIL? That’s the government for you – keep throwing money WE DON’T have on programs that have FAILED. Where was I …) don’t have “In God We Trust on Them.”
Hhmm…
I looked up the email on Snopes.com and here is what it said:
In 2007, the U.S. Mint began the release of a series of coins similar in concept to the 50 State Quarters Program launched in 1999. This new series, the Presidential $1 Coin Program, features dollar coins identical in size, color, and composition to the earlier Sacagawea dollar, each one bearing the likeness of a former U.S. President on the front and a representations of the Statue of Liberty on the back. The Presidential $1 coins will be released in series of four per year (in order corresponding to the presidents’ terms of office) beginning in February 2007.
Just as the first Presidential $1 coins rolling out of the Mint in early 2007, emails began to circulate spreading the erroneous assertion that the new dollar coins did not include the phrase “In God We Trust” in their design. In fact, the Presidential dollars neither omitted the phrase “In God We Trust” nor demonstrated a plot to “phase God out of America.” As specified by Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005, in order to allow for “larger and more dramatic artwork” on the coins’ faces, the new Presidential $1 coins incorporated a few design features not found on other current U.S. coinage, one of which is that elements typically displayed on either the front or back of U.S. coins – the year of minting, the mint mark, the motto from the Great Seal of the United States (“E Pluribus Unum”), the current national motto of the United States (“In God We Trust”) – were instead included as edge-incursed inscriptions. That is, all of these elements appeared on the edges of the new dollar coins rather than on their fronts or backs.
The article goes on to say that there were small quantities of coins released at the beginning of the program that did NOT have the “In God We Trust” on them, but that it was a “mistake”.
Yeah right. I’m betting they omitted it on purpose to see if they could get away with it and people threw such a fit that they “fixed” the problem.
And the whole trying to phase God out of America thing? I totally buy that. I’m convinced that our government is trying to do that very thing but they would never come right out and admit that. I’m sure it would be chocked up to a “mistake,” if called out later.
*snicker*
Congress later reversed it’s specifications of printing “In God We Trust” on the side of the coin with the 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act and instructed the mints to put it back ON the coin.
Again, most likely because people threw a fit about it.
Even though this email being circulated is wrong in stating that the new dollar coins don’t have the national motto “In God We Trust” printed on them (earlier versions didn’t due to a “mistake”, later versions have it on the side, and even later versions now have it printed on the coin), I think it’s still important to point out that once again, our government TRIED to get away with something and yet again the PEOPLE put their foot down and said no.
It just goes to show that, once again, it’s important to pay attention to what our government is up to. There’s no telling what “MISTAKES” might be made when we’re not looking.
Write From Karen 