ACLU Gets One Right?
How in the world did this slip through their filters?
DETROIT - The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan today announced an out-of-court settlement between the Utica Community School District and a local student over the censorship of her 2001 yearbook entry. The student’s entry had been deleted from the yearbook because it contained a passage from the Bible.
“While it is true that the Constitution forbids public schools to promote religion, schools must be careful not to suppress the private religious expression of students,” said ACLU of Michigan Legal Director Michael J. Steinberg, who represented the student. “In this case, a high school purported to create an open forum for student expression, yet censored a student’s speech because it was religious in nature.”
My position on religion in government has always been one where endorsement was disallowed, but individual expression was preserved. Meaning that it’s not ok for the school to mandate prayer, but perfectly acceptable to allow all students equal time to pray during the school day if they choose.
Normally the ACLU, prone to filing lawsuits over things as silly as an easter display on a government worker’s desk, doesn’t take that position. They seek to drive all spirituality out of government. Unless it’s the spirituality of a protected group (i.e. Muslims) in which case it’s just fine.
Bill Mitchell
robert108
gilbyguy
likwidshoe
C. Y.
Carrick
