Jack Howard for The New York Times
The high school football coach
Marcus Borden is suing the
school district in East Brunswick,
N.J., for banning him from leading
his players in prayer. The team
finished its season yesterday.
Posted on 11/25/2005 2:52:51 AM PST by Pharmboy
Jack Howard for The New York Times
The high school football coach
Marcus Borden is suing the
school district in East Brunswick,
N.J., for banning him from leading
his players in prayer. The team
finished its season yesterday.
EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J., Nov. 24 - In small towns across the land, high school football is a slice of Americana served up on Thanksgiving before the pumpkin and pecan pies...snip
...last year, the Bears lost to the Knights but went on to win the highly competitive Central Jersey Group IV championship.
This year, the team has attracted national attention for reasons having little to do with its on-field performance. Marcus Borden, who had coached the Bears for 23 years, resigned in October when the school district threatened to fire him if he continued his long-standing custom of leading his team in prayer before games.
He returned a week later, after agreeing not to pray with his team. After his reinstatement, his players took turns initiating the pregame blessing while Borden sat in silence. That was fine from a legal standpoint, the federal courts having ruled that student-led prayer is permitted as long as no faculty members are involved.
But it was not fine with Borden. Earlier this week, Ronald Riccio, a lawyer whom Borden had hired, filed a lawsuit against East Brunswick Public Schools, alleging that the district, by barring Borden from praying alongside his players, had infringed on his constitutional rights.
The challenge brought members of the national news media to East Brunswick's door, and the strain of maintaining appearances was evident at Jay Doyle Field.
Borden's championing of free speech at East Brunswick seems to have had the unintended effect of clamping down on it...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Guess 1st Amendment is supposed to protect everyone else except Christians, in the eyes of these FReepers.
SFS
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie.Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
Doesn't seem... It IS.
More damage inflicted by Sandra Day O'Conner.
For all the good Reagan did he did far more damage with the O'Conner appointee. She has changed the law of the land for the last two decades to the left. Now that law is forever precedent. And the way the dems fight the court today we will never get it back. Back then a conservative was far more likely to get through.
Sandra Day O'Conner has done more damaged to this country than anyone.
People praise Reagan all the time but he cared more about political correctness appointing O'Conner than stopping the liberal courts.
I bet Nancy Reagan was involved with the O'Conner pick. Nancy praised O'Conner to no end when she retired. Nancy is closer politically to the democrats than republicans.
It wasn't just O'Connor either--there are many, many horrible people on the left who aided the decline of America.
God may yet give us another chance. For that, we should be humble to Him, and pray.
Ever heard of a little fella called Earl Warren ? How 'bout Roger Taney ? O'Connor was subpar, but she was a rank amateur to these "individuals."
O'Conner was the swing vote in the modern era though. Warren's court was a complete disaster. O'Conner is so frustrating because if a conservative had been in her place so many laws would be different. I can't tell you how many 5-4 decisions have gone against us because of O'Conner.
I should amend that along with O'Conner Warren Rudman and senator Sununu has done the most damage. If it weren't for them Edith Jones would have been Bush's nominee instead of Souter. John Ashcroft was even in the running. Think how different all those decisions would have been if it weren't for those two rinos.
When public school becomes voluntary both in attendance and funding, then this "Darwinist Freeper" won't care what the coach says.
Until then, it does matter.
No. He's an example of Christian Jihadists trying to force people's kids to follow along with them.
He's giving responsibility for these kids to be their coach. Not to force his religion on them.
Shame on the coach for abusing his authority.
There is no ban on prayer in school. What is banned is teachers (and coaches) using their power and authority over these kids to pressure them into praying.
That is wrong. If someone is going to pray, they need to do it because THEY want to. Not because their coach or teacher or school or government wants them to.
Check the Declaration of Independence. Do you want to edit out the four references to God?
If the kids don't object to praying, why should you?
What about teachers pressuring kids into believing the socialist bilge they've been feeding them for the past 40 years?
Ignored in all this, too, is John Paul Stevens. Stevens is the most leftist anti-Constitutional member of the court, and appointed by a Republican President, Ford. I have to wonder if Stevens has even READ the Constitution. Since we have a 7-2 GOP to 'Rat Court, it ought to resemble votes more along those lines. As for whom was behind O'Connor, I always thought it was Goldwater. O'Connor served in the AZ State Senate from 1969-75 (serving, in fact, as Majority Leader from 1973-75), and so his people were more knowledgeable about her record. Both Goldwater and O'Connor were decidedly pro-abort (sadly, his last term in the Senate was an embarrassment and more noteworthy for his deception with regards to securing it against a pro-life Democrat he barely beat in 1980 - the irony not lost, imagine the so-called "father of the Conservative movement" losing in the very election that saw the Conservative movement come to fruition - Goldwater lied that he would support pro-life causes, and did absolutely the opposite - in fact, both of his wives were apparently big movers and shakers in "Planned Infanticide" - and as he got older and more embittered, he came to detest and actively worked to sabotage the Religious Conservative movement). I believe President Reagan was lied to regarding what she supported and how she would be likely to vote once on the highest court. Though she has not been as horrid as Stevens, she, along with Souter and the 2 'Rat-appointed troglodytes, have certainly been colossal disappointments, if not outright abominations to the court. One had hoped that the Rehnquist Court would've been able to start to right the wrongs of injustice dating to the Warren era, though with the "5", have compounded the injustices and opened up new ones that will take a very long time to remedy - if ever.
Hmmm. The coach of the football team, the guy that decides whether you play or not, says the prayer is "optional". Yeah, right.
But the kids don't have to believe it. That's "optional", just like these prayers. I'm sure teachers will assure us that kids not adopting a socialist outlook will in no way be penalized, just like kids that don't pray with the coach. Yeah, right.
Seems like you proved my point.
Nope--you just proved mine. Please tell me how these kids will be penalized by standing silent as a prayer is recited. And, please note that I am speaking as a Jew who went through NYC public school back in the day when Christian Holidays were very much in evidence. I understood that I was in the minority and that was that. No problem...what is the dread you see in this?
And you still did not answer my inquiry about the DOI: you want to edit the God references out?
How was religion forced on the players?
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