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<DIV>This month, I was at the high school graduation of a friend's
grand-daughter.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I noticed that prayer and religious themes were evident throughout the
ceremony.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Nobody has complained or gone to court about it. Why not?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>First, not one person present was offended. It is a little known fact that
without someone present and directly affected, someone with standing to sue, all
the stables of lawyers kept by the ACLU, Liberty Counsel, FFRF, ACLJ, are
absolutely helpless to do anything about it.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Second, there was no <EM>government</EM> action involved. The
valedictorian's speech was one long prayer. I think. She opened with a prayer,
and I couldn't tell any point up to the end where it stopped being a prayer.
That is her individual speech, so it is free exercise, not establishment. Then,
the commencement speaker, who was Miss America 2004, told all the graduates that
most of the people she graduated from high school with are in prison, in and out
of jail, dead or divorced (at age 23) -- and she avoided those fates by always
staying in prayer. Again, no government enforcement involved, just this
individual saying what she chose to say.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>If I wanted to be cynical, I could add that no liberal democrat would dare
to object to prayer in a predominantly African-American school, because it would
offend one of their most loyal voting bases. But that just goes to show that
people are a lot more complex than most politicians and poll takers give us
credit for.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Siarlys</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>P.S. The school choir puts out some excellent gospel CDs too. Again, no
complaints, no court action. Just relax and enjoy the music.</DIV></BODY></HTML>