Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 24, 1990 TAG: 9006280667
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Approximately 9,000 of the signatures were collected in only two weeks. Almost everyone who had an opportunity to sign the petition was glad to sign. It is obvious that the vast majority of Boucher's constituents want him to support the school prayer constitutional amendment in Congress now.
This amendment would let the people in each school district decide the school prayer policy for their district. The American Civil Liberties Union and judges would no longer dictate our public school prayer policies. People support the amendment because it would restore religious freedom and freedom of speech in our schools.
The big majority is tired of a small, radical, left-wing minority dictating when our children can and cannot pray. That little minority has imposed its warped religious beliefs on everyone else long enough.
It is not pluralism, neutrality, equality or tolerance when the recognition of God and his importance in human life is censored out of our public schools. That radical action favors atheists over those who believe in God.
The school prayer statute that Boucher supports instead of the constitutional amendment is as worthless as the flag desecration statute he supported. The Supreme Court ruled the flag statute was unconstitutional, just as it would rule the prayer statute unconstitutional.
We will not give up. We will continue to remind our congressman that he is supposed to represent us, not the ACLU.\ Lewis R. Sheckler\ Radford
***CORRECTION***
Published correction ran on June 28, 1990\ Because of an editor's error, a letter in Sunday's New River Current incorrectly referred to 12,000 concerned citizens who collected signatures for a school prayer petition to Congressman Rich Boucher. More than 12,000 people signed the petition.
Memo: CORRECTION