Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Arthur Eaves has both national and state history on his side in wanting to restore prayer in Mississippi’s schools. The only problem is that the U.S. Supreme Court disagrees.
Mississippi’s current constitution adds, “The rights hereby secured shall not be construed … to exclude the Holy Bible from use in any public school of this state.”
Several other territorial papers and state constitutions, both past and present, make it totally obvious that the Founders in no way intended to separate religious instruction or religious activities from America’s public schools.
In addition, George Washington, who was president of the Constitutional Convention and the president of the United States when the First Amendment was adopted, believed, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”
“History must judge whether it was the Father of his Country in 1789, or a majority of the Court today, which has strayed from the meaning of the First Amendment,” the late Supreme Court Chief Justice William Rehnquist wrote in the case of Wallace vs. Jaffree.
Some folks wrongly contend that Eaves is pandering to voters with his prayer pledge. We believe, however, Eaves is not pandering at all. He’s standing on the Rock from which both this nation and this state were hewed.
The Bolivar Commercial:
Ironically, Haley Barbour plays the more reasonable role of progressive pragmatist on this issue. The Supreme Court has been perfectly clear that even mildly compulsive school prayer violates the Constitution, and although Eaves hasn't been very specific, Mississippi schools are endorsing just about all the prayer they can legally; in many instances, they're already over the line. As Barbour rightly points out, Eaves' suggestions are a sure-fire way to endanger Mississippi schools' already suspect behavior.
ReplyDeletePerhaps one of y'all could find this for me, but has Barbour ever stated that he'd actually like prayer in schools?
ReplyDeleteOr has he only issued dire warnings of impending doom? (bum, bum, bummm...)
From the Clarion-Ledger yesterday:
ReplyDelete“When I was your age, we were allowed to have prayer in the classroom. Be sure we don’t let God and religion be driven out of the public square,” Barbour told the students who had pulled close together, their hands touching the backs of their neighbors.
Barbour said he doesn’t agree with the Supreme Court’s decision on prayer but the state must abide by it because “we are a government of laws.”
Link: http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200770926011
He might not agree with the decision and still not care either way about prayer in schools.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking for a statement to the effect of "We need prayer in schools and if the decision was not in place I'd support it."
I've always seen Barbour as very secular, which is neither good or bad, but curious.
I appreciate the response.
Barbour is more secular than Eaves. He's also more cosmopolitan. And he's not as committed to addressing poverty.
ReplyDeleteWhen I framed this election as the Shah versus the Ayatollah, I was completely serious about the accuracy of that metaphor. While Eaves is no Khomeini, he is using the Khomeini three-pronged strategy of religion, nationalism (in this case, regionalism), and poverty relief, and he is describing Barbour in the same terms used to describe the Shah prior to the '79 revolution--opulent, secular, rootlessly cosmopolitan, too much under the control of outsiders.
I don't like Eaves' strategy one bit because I want secular, cosmopolitan leadership. And given that Eaves did donate to Kerry in 2004, I have to believe that on some level he does, too.
Cosmopolitan Haley. I'd never applied the label, but it was one of the things that struck me when I'd see him working in the Capitol. Much slicker than a Mississippi politician. Better suits, great shoes. I processed it as "he's got a bajillion dollars, what do you expect?" But that's what it was. A man accustomed to high fashion. Fordice, another R Gov whose wallet was of considerable heft, never came off that way to me. Haley is effete. One of the beltway crowd who contemplates the statement their tie clip makes. I've never seen him in DC, but he has that smack about him. God, how did we ever elect him here the first time?
ReplyDelete