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

DATE: THURSDAY, February 6, 1992                   TAG: 9202060513
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

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U.S., IRANIAN SCHOOLS ARE DIFFERENT

RICHARD Godfrey's Jan. 21 letter attacked Lew Sheckler's support of prayer rights for public school students. The facts and logic agree with Sheckler.

The right to speak prayers apparently means nothing to Godfrey, but it is essential to the rest of us. The First Amendment guarantees the free exercise of religion and guarantees freedom of speech. Sheckler says it is crazy to believe that amendment gives people a right to desecrate our national flag but denies schoolchildren a right to speak prayers.

Godfrey says prayer in our public schools would do to America what "prayer in public schools has done for Iran." I thought everyone knows U.S. and Iranian schools are very different, until I learned Godfrey does not.

Before prayer was censored from American public schools, the primary disciplinary problems were students talking without permission, chewing gum and throwing paper wads. Now the primary disciplinary problems have become assault, arson, murder and rape.

Sheckler is the congressional candidate who has my vote. He will fight for a basic right that should never have been taken away. ERNESTINE B. FRITH RADFORD

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