FREEDOM...BACK IN THE DAY

Eric Willis

That's how we describe something or a situation or environment that once existed but is no longer around...case in point, "Back in the day, Johnny U was the MAN! I mean, the Colts had Ray Berry, John Mackey and Lennie Moore, and they were good, but Johnny U was the MAN, back in the day!" Well, now Peyton is the MAN for the Colts, the INDIANAPOLIS Colts (for those of you who don't know, they used to be in Baltimore. I sometimes forget they moved). I'm down with Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne and Joe Addai but PEYTON is the MAN! The more things change, right?

Or is it?

Back in the day, no one thought that starting a day at school with a prayer to God could be seen as anything but a good thing. Acknowledging that all good things come from Him and that we depend on Him to get us through the day seemed to be the right thing to do. Freedom to pray at school was a good thing...but then we learned just how ignorant we'd been.

In the Union Free School District No. 9 in Hyde Park, New York, each class used to begin EACH day by praying, "Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country" I can see how some could be terrified of the consequences by allowing this practice to continue. They must have thought, " Who knows where this could lead? Next thing you know, they'll ACTUALLY suggest reading the BIBLE might be a GOOD THING! Our children must be protected from the unenlightened. This is a violation of the sacred separation of Church and state and we must stop it...but, HOW?"

LOOK! It's a bird, it's a plane it's...the United States Supreme Court! Back in the day, 1962 to be exact, the USSC ruled that the school district had violated the First Amendment by causing the prayer to be recited in the presence of a TEACHER. By doing this, said the court, this constituted an unconstitutional (I know, I know...give me a break, I'm not a pro) state establishment of religion and was, therefore, illegal. Just think about what kind of freedom we'd have if these men hadn't stepped in...huh?

Fast forward, back in the day, to the year 2000. Remember getting ready for Y2K? Life as we knew it would be no more. No one knew how computers would react going from 1999 to 2000. Since everything was, and is, controlled by computers, we filled up our bath tubs and bought grosses of bottled water 'cause the treatment systems might quit. We took all our money out of the bank just in case all those ATM's stopped working. But we could take comfort in the fact that the US government would be up and running, continuing to look out for our freedom?

How's that workin' out for us?

Fact is, the Supreme Court was Y2KO'd. In the Santa Fe Independent School District vs Doe case, prayer in public schools was again addressed. This time, the issue was prayer before football games. It seems that a student, selected by student body members, would address the players and spectators before a game. These addresses, which usually contained a prayer, were conducted over the school's loud speakers. Attendance at these events was voluntary. Three students sued the school, arguing the prayer violated the establishment clause of the First Amendment. The school argued that since the prayer was student initiated and led, it did not violate the amendment. The Court disagreed, stating it WAS a violation because the loudspeakers used by the students for their prayers were owned by the school!

But, wait...if the loudspeakers are owned by the school, and the school is a part of the government, and We the People CHOSE individuals to REPRESENT us in the spirit of government OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE and FOR THE PEOPLE, and we think it's good that our children pray at school, THEN WHY CAN"T THEY DO IT?! Our government would never go against the will of We the People. Would it? Do we not live in a country where the government we elected ALWAYS reflects the will of the people and looks out for our freedom?

Or,...was that back in the day, too?

Don't go 'way for long, folks, I'm just gettin' started. More to come about Freedom...Back in the Day.