American Communist Lackey Union?

I know that's not the officially designated meaning of that acronym, but it would be pretty tough to build a compelling argument that naming them the American Communist Lackey Union is inaccurate.

As reported this morning on the WND web site, the ACLU (more properly known as the American Civil Liberties Union) has filed suit in US District Court in Florida on behalf of two high school students who are "offended by the school's policy of allowing prayer at voluntary events and holding Christmas concerts at churches".

Offended? Get over it. I may have missed it and am willing to stand corrected if so, but I'm pretty sure that no part of the Constitution or it's subsequent amendments guarantee we won't suffer the unimaginable trauma of being offended.

Daniel Mach, director of litigation for the ACLU's Program on Freedom of Religion and Beliefs, "said he believes the school should refrain from endorsing religions". Perhaps Mr. Mach should take a look at his office letterhead and then pull out a dictionary for a bit of remedial education. "Freedom of Religion" is emphatically not the same thing as "Freedom FROM Religion".

Religion exists, in this country and in this world. Religions fit under several broad umbrellas, and each umbrella shelters numerous variations on a particular theme. Even the vast majority of agnostic and atheist individuals subscribe to moral codes and conventions of social comportment that are reflective of those religions they denounce. The only difference is that their chosen lifestyle does not invoke deity as a framework.

That students are permitted to pray does not obligate others to follow along. That attendees at events are asked to stand as a prayer is offered does not obligate them to agree with the prayer any more than a child being asked to stand with his classmates while the Pledge of Allegiance is recited is obligated to believe or even recite the words of the Pledge. It is simply a show of respect and social common courtesy for their peers. That the school cafeteria chooses to serve cheeseburgers on Thursday is neither an indication the Jews are unwelcome or Jimmy Buffet is their hero. Unless conducted within the context of a broader service, concerts given in the month of December in a church are merely taking advantage of an available venue and not inherently religious simply because of the location.

Being exposed to a wide variety of experiences, evaluating those experiences, and discussing them with respected elders in your community - such as parents - is what is required to grow up and become a functional, educated citizen. No single group has a monopoly on what is right, or what should properly be encountered in public. Likewise, no single group is entitled to prevent the public expression of any other viewpoint or lifestyle.

"The government should not be in the business of deciding which religions to promote," [Mach] said in an ACLU statement. "Individuals, families and religious communities should be free to make their own decisions about religion."

How right you are, Mr. Mach. The government should also not be in the business of deciding which viewpoints, religious or otherwise, are to be suppressed.