Written by Don Byrd
Last week brought one of the strangest state legislation stories to come around in a while (and these days that is saying something). A bill in Alabama that would require schools to start the day with a recitation of prayer was passed out of committee last week, even though more committee members voted against it than for it.
The Montgomery Advertiser explains:
Rep. Mary Sue McClurkin, R-Indian Springs, chairwoman of the committee, said she heard more votes in favor of the bill.
“It’s what I heard as chairman,” she said.
Reps. Terri Collins, R-Decatur, Elaine Beech, D-Chatom, and Phil Williams, R-Huntsville, all voted against the bill. Reps. Marcel Black, D-Tuscumbia, Mac Buttram, R-Cullman, and Kerry Rich, R-Albertville, did not vote at all.
The only two to vote in favor of the bill were McClurkin and Rep. Lesley Vance, R-Phenix City.
Democracy at its finest, right?
As I explained in an earlier post, proponents of the bill try to skirt the obvious church-state problem with logic that rivals the committee’s math skills. It’s not real prayer, the sponsor says, it’s civic eduction into the nation’s historic prayer.
Sigh. Read more about it here.
