Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list
Posted on 09/16/2009 4:04:32 PM PDT by NYer
.- In what critics are characterizing as the “criminalization of prayer,” a principal and an athletic director at a Florida high school are facing criminal contempt charges for violating a federal order prohibiting prayer at school events.
Principal Frank Lay and Athletic Director Robert Freeman at Pace High School in the Florida panhandle county of Santa Rosa could face fines, jail time and loss of their retirement benefits.
During a luncheon to honor those who contributed toward the public school's athletic Field House, Principal Lay reportedly asked Freeman to offer a blessing for the meal. Students were not present at the time of the blessing.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) charged that the action constituted a violation of a previous court order and accused Lay and Freeman of contempt of court.
Last year the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the Santa Rosa County School District, charging that some of the teachers and administration endorsed religion. The school district did not fight the suit but consented to an order fashioned by the ACLU.
“School officials shall neither offer nor participate in a prayer during or in conjunction with a school event,” part of the order read.
“School officials shall not authorize students, student groups, a student body… or third parties to include prayer, whether or not it is noted in a printed program, during or in conjunction with a school event,” the order continued. It barred “non-student third-parties” from offering a prayer, invocation, benediction or other religious remarks during or in conjunction with a school event.
U.S. Rep. J. Randy Forbes (R-V), a co-chairman of the Congressional Prayer Caucus, criticized the trial of the two school officials in a Wednesday speech on the House floor.
“Under the order issued by this judge in this court,” he claimed, “this principal would not have been able to ask the president of the United States to speak at the school if the president concluded his speech, as he often does, with the phrase ‘God bless America.’”
He charged that the precedent set by this case would eventually result in the Speaker of the House and the House chaplain being threatened with jail for asking for and delivering a prayer, respectively.
Rep. Forbes invoked the Founding Fathers who were dedicated to a set of rights “given to us by the very Creator, the mention of whom by this principal or this athletic director could now lead them to a jail term.”
“It’s time for Americans to simply say ‘enough is enough,'” Forbes stated.
Rep. Forbes and a bipartisan group of 60 Members of Congress have signed a letter of support to Lay and Freeman.
“The tradition of offering prayer in America has become so interwoven into our nation’s spiritual heritage that to charge someone criminally for engaging in such an innocent practice would astonish the men who founded this country on religious liberty,” their letter said.
The letter noted that Rev. William Linn, the Chaplain of the House in the first session of Congress, began the tradition of beginning each legislative day with prayer.
Lay and Freeman will be put on trial on Thursday, September 17.
Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list
Is this America or communist Red China? Such a crime to say a prayer? No wonder Americans are fed up with their tyrant vermin scum rulers.
Our beloved country is self destructing. Please God, help us stop this madness. Amen
That simply means no court can rule on these matters.
Its an amazing and scary story. Free speech means nothing any more. The left has taken over and we MUST fight them every step of the way to tyranny.
You would think so. But since when has this government followed the Constitution?
and yet in another state muslims get TAKEN into a room , well two rooms bogs and girls where they can pray while A TEACHER STANDS IN THE HALLWAY AND KEEPS KIDS QUIET FOR THEM
nah no double standard here.
As I mentioned in a previous thread, I went to college with Frank Lay and was on a team with him. Although I haven’t seen him since graduation, he is as fine a man as I have ever known.
It is Amerika, komrad.
Check out “The Dirty Dozen,” by Levy and Mellor. It is a great book the dozen worst scotus decisions of the 20th century.
The left has taken over and we MUST fight them every step of the way to tyranny.
It is why we must stand with these two and with every other
teacher who is under the scrutiny of the left.
So far when the left has confronted us we’ve looked away
and it has encouraged them, NO MORE!
Look them in the eye and say, IT STOPS HERE.
Getting past that problem, the school administration did not, of course, define prayer, or specify what words might be used by the employees at meetings as a substitute for prayer.
I really don't see how the employees can be held accountable for anything in this case, but I also see it making its way to the Supreme Court.
Remember, the Regents case involved an official prayer written by the New York state government and prescribed by them for appropriate use.
The Supreme Court said the government of New York had no right to write or prescribe a prayer, and yet, in this case, we have all the elements ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE EQUATION and yet the putz brains at the ACLU still want to fight.
I think they lose this time, and the time after that we get to hunt them like animals in the streets and cart them off to funny farm cells where they can play with themselves and each other until their end of life conferences with Dr. Menge~manuel.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.