When it comes to the daily News items I post I don't verify or
vouch for them. I let whoever wrote them make valid points or make a fool
of themselves. I gather and post them to let people see what is out there
on both sides of the issue.
I post them to inform without commentaty and to let others see the
valid and the off the wall that appear from various sources.
I include the source and a URL so that anyone can get to the
original source and if they feel inclinced to do so, challenge anything in
the article directly with the author.
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Complaint challenges moment of silence in schools
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/religion/stories/031406dnmetprayer.214283e6.html
By KATHERINE LEAL UNMUTH / The Dallas Morning News
An atheist couple whose children attend a Carrollton-Farmers Branch
elementary school have filed a complaint in federal district court arguing
that the state's mandated moment of silence in public schools is
unconstitutional.
David and Shannon Croft named the school district and Gov. Rick Perry in
their complaint, filed Friday. In it, they say one of their children was
told by a teacher to be quiet because the minute is a "time for prayer."
"I do not believe there is any secular reason for a moment of silence,"
said Mr. Croft, 37, a computer programmer. "This is just a ruse to get
prayer in school without calling it prayer in school. Is there any study
showing a moment of silence helps education?"
[snip]'
Since 2003, Mr. Croft has documented his battle against perceived
violations of the separation of church and state at Rosemeade Elementary,
where his three children attend.
His past complaints, he said, include objecting to religious-themed songs
such as "Silent Night" and "God Bless the U.S.A.," Good News Bible Club
meetings at the school and a poster reading "In God We Trust."
[snip]
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1985 that a moment of silence in Alabama
public schools was unconstitutional, saying it showed the government was
promoting prayer. But the court declined to hear a challenge backed by the
American Civil Liberties Union to Virginia's moment of silence in 2001.
Dean Cook, Mr. Croft's Plano-based attorney, said the Alabama case set a
precedent. He said the moment violates the establishment clause and
[snip]
Mr. Croft called Michael Newdow of California a hero for challenging the
constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance because of the phrase "one
nation, under God."
Mr. Croft said his children sometimes feel uncomfortable because of their
refusal to say the pledge or sing certain songs he believes promote
religion.
"I don't want my children exposed to people telling them the supernatural
is real," Mr. Croft said. "I completely reject Judeo-Christian monotheism."
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You are invited to check out the following:
The Rise of the Theocratic States of America
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocracy.htm
American Theocrats - Past and Present
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/theocrats.htm
The Constitutional Principle: Separation of Church and State
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
[and to join the discussion group for the above site and/or Separation of
Church and State in general, listed below]
HRSepCnS · Hampton Roads [Virginia] SepChurch&State
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HRSepCnS/
[Its not just Hampton Roads folks who are members, there are members from
all over the US and a couple from overseas as well]
***************************************************************
.. . . You can't understand a phrase such as "Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion" by syllogistic reasoning. Words
take their meaning from social as well as textual contexts, which is why "a
page of history is worth a volume of logic." New York Trust Co. v. Eisner,
256 U.S. 345, 349, 41 S.Ct. 506, 507, 65 L.Ed. 963 (1921) (Holmes, J.).
Sherman v. Community Consol. Dist. 21, 980 F.2d 437, 445 (7th Cir. 1992)
.. . .
****************************************************************
USAF LT. COL (Ret) Buffman (Glen P. Goffin) wrote
"You pilot always into an unknown future;
facts are your only clue. Get the facts!"
That philosophy 'snipit' helped to get me, and my crew, through a good
many combat missions and far too many scary, inflight, emergencies.
It has also played a significant role in helping me to expose the
plethora of radical Christian propaganda and lies that we find at
almost every media turn.
*****************************************************************
THE CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLE:
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/index.html
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