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The Governor is just about always named in State Supreme Court suits. He's the chief executive in charge of implementing & enforcing state laws, whether he personally signed the bill into law or not. Since it's a law, he's legally obligated to implement & enforce it, so he gets named in the lawsuit because of it.
I think that it's bad policy to force a moment of silence on every student, teacher and employee at the behest of a state law for questionable purposes.
It also takes away the power of local school boards to set their own policies for which they are elected. In effect, the local citizens have been stripped of their power to set policy for their own schools and kids.
Even the definition of what is pornography is often left to local standards, so why shouldn't the necessity of the moment of silence be left up to the local voters and school board to decide?
Who needs a moment of silence and why? Prayer doesn't require silence from everyone in the vicinity or in the entire school to be able to do it.
I thought prayer and school did not mix in the US ? It's just another way to bring in religion by the back door. Kids should not have to go against their conscience any more than adults.
I went to private Catholic schools and I refused to do the morning prayers or take part in the religious rituals. My father managed to convince the nuns that my hideously expensive fees were enough of an incentive for me to be "let off". But at least it was a private school and as such they had the right to set up their own rules.
Well, as I said, when a law starts "requiring" schools to comply with the state, and folks see it as a mixing of state and church, now things get sticky. This part I understand folks not liking, though I still have no particular problem with a moment of silence, in and of itself. Children can pray, think about other things, or sleep, as far as I'm concerned. I really don't see how a moment of silence, so long as it's not state-mandated, is a problem. It just seems to me that there are much more important things to be suing folks over.
That's your opinion though. Some people...like many atheists...see "moment of silence" laws as prayer in sheep's clothing, and a lot of people don't understand why the religious right is so persistent in its attempts to reintroduce prayer into American public schools by any means.
I'm sure there are issues of great importance to you that you'd be ready to sue over, yes?
1892
“I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.â€
1892 to 1923
"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all."
1923 to 1954
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all."
1954 to Present
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all."
Pre-1954 pledge, of course. That 'under god' crap is cold war era garbage, brought in by Eisenhower.
1892
“I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.â€
1892 to 1923
"I pledge allegiance to my Flag and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all."
1923 to 1954
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all."
1954 to Present
"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands: one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all."
1954 to Present. Notice that it is the version that has stood the longest...
And we need to keep in mind that Illinois is asking for 15 SECONDS of silence at the beginning of the day for WHATEVER ~ 15 freakin' seconds to just breath in deeply, relax, say a few silent words, whatever. How in GOD'S name does anyone object to this? It just blows my mind that this father would say that his 14 year old (subject) will be an audience to Christianity??? Please! He's obviously so deranged with ignorance and lack of faith in his child's ability to think and decide for herself that he's blown a gasket...
1954 to Present. Notice that it is the version that has stood the longest...
And we need to keep in mind that Illinois is asking for 15 SECONDS of silence at the beginning of the day for WHATEVER ~ 15 freakin' seconds to just breath in deeply, relax, say a few silent words, whatever. How in GOD'S name does anyone object to this? It just blows my mind that this father would say that his 14 year old (subject) will be an audience to Christianity??? Please! He's obviously so deranged with ignorance and lack of faith in his child's ability to think and decide for herself that he's blown a gasket...
It's not for "whatever" the name of the legislative act is the "Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act".
Like I said before, if the dumb legislators had left the word "prayer" out of the title it would probably be constitutional. As it is written now, it's probably not.
Why is the legislature even bothering with this, anyway? There's nothing preventing a student at any time from bowing their head for a moment and praying, if that is what they want to do. This is just about getting votes and pandering to the religious right.
That's your opinion though. Some people...like many atheists...see "moment of silence" laws as prayer in sheep's clothing, and a lot of people don't understand why the religious right is so persistent in its attempts to reintroduce prayer into American public schools by any means.
I'm sure there are issues of great importance to you that you'd be ready to sue over, yes?
True, it's just my opinion. However, my opinion is just as valid as everyone else's, yes?
By the way, I am, in no way, part of the "religous right", nor do I think that prayer, or a moment of silence has any business being mandated by the state. This, to me, would be the problem, not simply a moment of silence, in and of itself. Let each school district, made up of the parents, take up this issue, and keep the government out of it. Which is what I've been trying to say all along, apparently not very well.
True, it's just my opinion. However, my opinion is just as valid as everyone else's, yes?
By the way, I am, in no way, part of the "religous right", nor do I think that prayer, or a moment of silence has any business being mandated by the state. This, to me, would be the problem, not simply a moment of silence, in and of itself. Let each school district, made up of the parents, take up this issue, and keep the government out of it. Which is what I've been trying to say all along, apparently not very well.
I disagree. This is an area where the government needs to be involved in keeping church and state separate because there is a very strong movement in this country to reintroduce prayer on school time by any means necessary.
It's completely unacceptable to me as an American and flies in the face of the First Amendment.
I disagree. This is an area where the government needs to be involved in keeping church and state separate because there is a very strong movement in this country to reintroduce prayer on school time by any means necessary.
It's completely unacceptable to me as an American and flies in the face of the First Amendment.
I have no desire to see prayer, as such, re-introduced in the public school system. Prayer to any specific deity has no place in school. However, I simply don't see a moment of silence as being the same as prayer. A child can pray or not pray, whatever they feel is right for them. One may pray to the Christian god, to Allah, or to the gods/goddesses of Wica. One may think about their homework, or their upcoming ballgame. One may appreciate that moment of silence, just to stare out the window, and watch the birds!
The reason I stated that government should be kept out of it, was because of the original story. In that news piece, we were told that the legislative body of Illinois, (i.e government), created this law, forcing the schools to comply. Here, we see a conjoining of state and church. Going with the premise that a moment of silence equals prayer, this means that the government is forcing prayer/religion to be practiced in the public schools, (remember that you said that the government should be involved). Now, we are dealing with a two-edged sword.
I think that local school districts need to set their own policies, without state or federal interference, but within the perimeters of the First Amendment. In other words, the State has no business setting the local school's policies, so long as the schools are complying with the First Amendment. Of course, here is where we differ and disagree, because you interpret a moment of silence with prayer, and I don't.
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