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Pastimes : Ask God -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: calgal who wrote (33121)	10/23/2001 12:28:54 PM
From: goldworldnet	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 39621

Texas Gov. Perry defends prayer in school 'Reaching out to a supreme being is a very normal act' 10/23/2001 By WAYNE SLATER / The Dallas Morning News AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry said Monday that he sees no problem with ignoring the U.S. Supreme Court ban on organized school prayer "at this very crisis moment in our history." Mr. Perry defended a decision to have a Protestant minister open an East Texas middle school assembly with prayer last week. "Any time you have a crisis that faces you either in your personal life or as we have now in our country, reaching out to a supreme being is a very normal act," said the Republican governor, who attended the school assembly in Palestine. Organized school prayer has been outlawed by the Supreme Court since 1963. Last year, the court ruled in a Texas case that organized prayers before high school football games were unconstitutional. Mr. Perry told reporters Monday that he is ready to make school prayer a campaign issue as he seeks election next year to a full four-year term as governor. "Why can't we say a prayer at a football game or a patriotic event like we held at Palestine Middle School?" Mr. Perry asked. "I don't understand the logic of that. I happen to think it was appropriate." Samantha Smoot of the Texas Freedom Network, which monitors the activities of religious groups in education, said school prayer "is a tempting issue for a politician." "You get short-term brownie points for appearing religious," she said. "It isn't until later that voters start thinking, What if it isn't my God they're worshipping, or my prayer?" The governor's likely Democratic challenger, Laredo banker Tony Sanchez, sought Monday through a spokesman to play down any difference between the two on the issue. "Prayer is an important part of children's lives," said Sanchez campaign manager Glenn Smith. "They shouldn't be excluded from prayer in schools, especially during a time like this." At the same time, Mr. Smith alluded to "the dangers of one denomination or religion intimidating children that happen to belong to another." Mr. Perry was asked about school prayer Monday during a news conference to promote ballot issues for building more highways. The governor said that if Congress and the Texas Legislature can open their sessions with prayer, public schools should be able to do the same. "It's very confusing," he said. Ms. Smoot said that the law is clear and that advocates of school-sanctioned prayer are simply choosing to ignore it: Voluntary prayer is allowed in school, but not organized prayer at official functions. "Despite the governor's confusion over the issue, the Supreme Court has been remarkably clear about this issue," she said. "While students have an absolute right to pray at school and to pray with other students so long as that prayer is voluntary and student-led, it is not legal for schools themselves to organize a mandatory, adult-led prayer," she said. Mr. Perry attended the assembly in the school gymnasium last Thursday. The assembly began with a prayer by the Rev. Roy Duncan, pastor of Antioch Baptist Church in Palestine. Mr. Perry said he disagrees with the Supreme Court prayer ban, and said it is only natural after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that people would want to pray. "Maybe it's time that we talk about clarifying just exactly what we can do and what we can't," he said. "I think what people are concerned about is that their ability to say their prayer, whether they are Jewish or Muslim or Christian or whatever, is being impeded by a very small minority." dallasnews.com * * *