Rantings of a New Yorker

After 50 years, someone finally complained about the prayer banner in Cranston High School. The school board said it would research the issue and would vote on the issue. In a huge error, they voted 4-3 to keep not only the high school banner, but a banner hanging in another school in the district.

School Prayer

Our Heavenly Father.
Grant us each day the desire to do our best.
To grow mentally and morally as well as physically.
To be kind and helpful to our classmates and teachers.
To be honest with ourselves as well as with others.
Help us to be good sports and smile when we lose as well as when we win.
Teach us the value of true friendship.
Help us always to conduct ourselves so as to bring credit to Cranston High School West.
Amen.

“I say we fight the good fight,” said Peter Paolella, a Cranston High School West graduate whose children attend the city’s public schools. He urged the School Committee to keep a prayer at Cranston West, even if that meant going to court. “America needs a hero. Let’s be the hero.”

Apparantly, the school board also likes wasting tax dollars over the lawsuit that will soon ensue. America doesn’t need any heroes and the school will not be seen in this light when it comes out how much money it will tax to defend themselves from their clearly wrong viewpoint.

Calling the decision to go to court “a Foxwoods gamble,” Culhane said Cranston students cannot afford the educational cuts that may be made to pay for the litigation. “It’s a gamble that my three children [would] have to pay the cost of in the end.”

And there you have it. At least one board member can see down the line that there will have to be cuts in education to pay for any litigation this vote causes. The fact is, Cranston is not a private school district. It is not a religious school. It takes federal and state tax dollars. Therefore, it is illegal to hang any religious banners.

The fact is, the banner is illegal. The prayer endorses religion. It endorses a particular type of religion. What would happen if this endorsement of the majority over the minority happened to be a religion other than the Christianity that it currently endorses? Would the members of the school board, the parents, students, and community still be happy with stifling the minority if they end up in the minority? I think not. We know what would happen then.

The message, supporters say, is a good one, one needed in today’s society.

Actually, it’s not needed in today’s society. You are good without religion.

In this case, the law is on the minority side and the ACLU is going to sue. I hope everyone’s happy when staff is laid off because of this clear violation of the law and the irresponsible behavior of the school district.