I’ve been ironically silent about this issue on my blog, but I’ve been following the case since it’s inception last month. Being somewhat of a legal geek, I’ve even managed to read through the litigation papers.

Local activist Rob Sherman, of whom I have conversed, challenged the bill on the grounds that it interferes with his daughter’s right to an education, failing to provide a purely secular purpose. Unfortunately, the local media seems to be trying to convince us Mr. Sherman’s first name is “outspoken atheist,” which by judging public opinion appears to be all the argument needed to turn a blind eye to the Constitutional conflicts, dismissing the case as just another godless librul out to take God outs of our schools.

The mandated moment of silence gives students two options: to sit quietly in their desks and pray, or as Rep. Monique Davis of Chicago suggests, “to listen to the rustling of leaves, to listen to the chirping of birds.” The former is a transparent endorsement of western religion, excluding eastern tradition and other theists who may need to get out of their desk to chant or bow in a specific direction. The latter, a frightening attempt at government sponsored thought control.

The true intention of this bill is obvious, but why is allotting time for prayer necessary? Students have always been able to pray, reflect, prepare and remember the deceased during their free time at school. The problem is mandating it. The writers of our Constitution understood that the best way to ensure religious liberty is for the government to stay completely neutral.

Mandating what students have already been allowed to do, specifically mentioning a western religious tradition, is nothing but a waste of government time and resources. Aren’t schools for… learning, and… parents for morality, anyway?