While all the world was gasping at the galactic stupidity of Todd Akin, he of the Missouri Gynecological and Plumbing Association, no one noticed the other smell arising from the plains of the mighty mid-west. Having clearly established the Show Me State's regard for women (that would be, not much) the genius voters of MO have passed one of the dumbest, most irrelevant laws since Mike Bloomberg's mandatory breast-feeding edict.
Missouri has decided that Christians in Missouri (and make no mistake, this is only about Christians) don't get to pray enough in public. While Todd Akin was dragging women back to chattel status, the Missouri populace passed the "Missouri Public Prayer Amendment". This charming bit of irrelevancy has guaranteed forevermore the rights of Missourians to practice their religion freely. Apparently, the citizens of Missouri were so busy practicing their religion in secret they never had time to glance at the U.S. Constitution. If they had, they would have tripped over the First Amendment which mentions, in passing, that Americans have been practicing their religion freely since 1789. Maybe they thought that the Missouri Compromise of 1821 somehow shortchanged their religious freedom. (A section of the amendment allows for the public display of the Bill of Rights in Missouri public schools so this oversite might be short-lived.)
Actually it's the second part of this law which will cause huzzahs with the Bible-beating crowd. The amendment states that students in public schools are guaranteed the right to pray and acknowledge their religion voluntarily. Clearly, the information block that promoted the understanding of the First Amendment also shielded Missourians from three landmark Supreme Court decisions. Two decisions in 1962 and 1963, Engel v. Vitale and Abbington School District v. Schempp pretty much put the kibosh on school prayer. In 1971 the court went so far as to establish guidelines for what was acceptable in schools where prayer was concerned. In Lemon v. Kurtzman the Court said that public school activities must 1) have a secular purpose, 2) Must neither enhance nor inhibit religion and 3) Must not result in excessive entanglement between government and religion. If you don't think this is clear, you must be from Missouri.
Missouri has decided that Christians in Missouri (and make no mistake, this is only about Christians) don't get to pray enough in public. While Todd Akin was dragging women back to chattel status, the Missouri populace passed the "Missouri Public Prayer Amendment". This charming bit of irrelevancy has guaranteed forevermore the rights of Missourians to practice their religion freely. Apparently, the citizens of Missouri were so busy practicing their religion in secret they never had time to glance at the U.S. Constitution. If they had, they would have tripped over the First Amendment which mentions, in passing, that Americans have been practicing their religion freely since 1789. Maybe they thought that the Missouri Compromise of 1821 somehow shortchanged their religious freedom. (A section of the amendment allows for the public display of the Bill of Rights in Missouri public schools so this oversite might be short-lived.)
Actually it's the second part of this law which will cause huzzahs with the Bible-beating crowd. The amendment states that students in public schools are guaranteed the right to pray and acknowledge their religion voluntarily. Clearly, the information block that promoted the understanding of the First Amendment also shielded Missourians from three landmark Supreme Court decisions. Two decisions in 1962 and 1963, Engel v. Vitale and Abbington School District v. Schempp pretty much put the kibosh on school prayer. In 1971 the court went so far as to establish guidelines for what was acceptable in schools where prayer was concerned. In Lemon v. Kurtzman the Court said that public school activities must 1) have a secular purpose, 2) Must neither enhance nor inhibit religion and 3) Must not result in excessive entanglement between government and religion. If you don't think this is clear, you must be from Missouri.
The author of this tripe is one State Rep. Mike McGhee. Here's a quiz: see if you can guess Mike's 1) religion?, 2) race?, 3) party? Of course he is. Here's a trick question: where did he go to college? Wrong. He never went. He's a farmer from Independence who made his money in land speculation. Prior to his introducing this amendment, the only impression he ever made in Jefferson City was on the cushion of his chair.
There are two things you need to know about this amendment. First, it's as unconstitutional as the day is long. The Supremes have yelled themselves hoarse explaining that school is not church. If you feel the need to contact the Almighty during school hours, ask to be excused. There are zero reasons to organize moments of silence during class time and a thousand reasons not to. If praying is so critical to your kid's education, put them in a religious school where they can pray to their heart's content while studying creationism and celibacy. Leave public schools to study real knowledge not mysticism.
Second, anybody who thinks that these "religious freedoms" will be extended to Muslim kids please pull your head out of your Koran. These "freedoms" are about promoting Christianity and Christianity only. The very reason for excluding prayer from schools, i.e., to keep teacher from converting/brainwashing students, is the very reason the Christian Right want to bring it in. They don't want religious freedom they want a state sponsored shot at preaching Jesus to school kids. The first time that a group of Islamic students organize themselves in the corner of a classroom and begin chanting "Allah akbar" the freedom of religion crowd will scream "terrorists" and run from the building. Remember, it was the "good Christians" of middle America that howled every time a middle easterner tried to erect so much as a falafel stand. This is about Christianity and its true believers.
All of this religious fervor might at least be understandable if the goal was building a more moral country. Who could argue with Christian values like charity, kindness and love? Sadly, those pages are missing from the New Testament being preached by these self-appointed prophets. The same "Christians" who want students praising Jesus all day also want immigrants out, welfare stopped and all non-Real Americans jailed. Please, ask one of these modern-day evangelists what he thinks of Guantanamo or inner-city blacks or education for illegal immigrants. Jesus Christ would hardly recognize the Church he started.
So remember oh you righteous Christians of Missouri, as you demand crosses be placed outside public buildings and stone renderings of the ten commandments be displayed in your courthouses, the only countries currently interested in this sort of church - state unification are the ones facing Mecca six times a day. Sharia Law by any other name still still treats women like goats.
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