
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, June 14, 1990                   TAG: 9006140073
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MADELYN ROSENBERG NEW RIVER VALLEY BUREAU
DATELINE: PULASKI                                LENGTH: Medium

PRAYER PETITIONS GROW

A Radford man delivered a petition carrying 3,000 signatures from across the 9th District to Rep. Rick Boucher's office here Wednesday, urging the Abingdon Democrat to support an amendment that would allow voluntary school prayer.

Lew Sheckler, a Republican and a member of a Radford pro-prayer group, had given petitions to Boucher last week that contained just under 9,000 signatures.

Boucher said Wednesday that he wouldn't support an amendment to the Constitution, but that he would support a statute advocating voluntary prayer.

He said the House of Representatives passed a statute last fall saying that no school receiving federal funds may deny the right to voluntary prayer.

"I voted for it," Boucher said. "I fully expect it to pass the Senate, and that satisfies the issue entirely."

But a statute does not satisfy the issue for Sheckler, who says amendments carry more weight.

"Surely Boucher knows that, too," he said. "He supported a statute to stop flag burning, but the Supreme Court threw it out - just like they'd throw out school prayer."

But Boucher said he views the Constitution as sacrosanct, and only in a rare instance would he vote to change it. He's not alone.

"People are pretty reluctant to change the Constitution," said L.H. LaRue, a law professor at Washington and Lee University. "That might be good or it might be bad, but it's a fact."

LaRue said it is difficult to amend the Constitution for two reasons: first, because of the reluctance to change it, and second, because it takes a large number of votes to pass amendments.

A statute can be passed by a majority vote in each house.

An amendment requires two-thirds of the vote of Congress and then must be ratified by three-fourths of the states.

"The effort should be focused on passing a statute, and I would be prepared to support that effort," Boucher said. "Hundreds of bills are introduced every year to amend the Constitution in one way or another. They receive no serious consideration. This one should be no exception."

Boucher said he appreciated Sheckler's help in communicating the views of more than 11,000 citizens.

"The U.S. Supreme Court says the First Amendment gives people a right to burn the American flag but denies a school child the right to speak prayer," Sheckler said Wednesday afternoon. "That is crazy. The Supreme Court is standing the First Amendment on its head."

by CNB