Mississippi lawmaker wants teachers to recite the Ten Commandments every day

There’s something disturbing happening in Mississippi. A legislator, Rep. Credell Calhoun, apparently thinks there isn’t quite enough Christianity in public schools, and has introduced a bill that would push the following requirements:

• Every school board must require a 60-second moment of reflection at the beginning of each school day.
• In every classroom, school, auditorium, and cafeteria, there must be posted an 11×14 (minimum) display featuring the Ten Commandments and the U.S. motto, “IN GOD WE TRUST.”
• Every morning, teachers must recite the Ten Commandments aloud at the beginning of the first hour of class, though any student or teacher who objects must be excused without penalty.

The moment of silence is allowed. Indeed, 36 states have legislation related to school moments of silence, 23 of which permit the moments while 13 require the moments. The Supreme Court has ruled that such moments are allowed, so long as they serve a secular purpose. If, for example, Calhoun had written in his bill that the moment was intended to be used for prayer, then that would run afoul of what the Court has allowed.

But it’s unquestionable that the Court would reject the other aspects of his bill as unconstitutional.

Not only is it unquestionable, it’s so obviously inevitable that it begs the question why anyone, much less someone whose job revolves around understanding the law, would think it’s a good idea. This bill is good for one thing only, and that’s to brighten a judge’s day by giving them something to laugh about as they presumably fold it into a paper airplane and toss it out the window.

Now, I mentioned there was something off about this. You’ve probably never heard of Rep. Calhoun until now, but you’d probably reckon, given this bill, that he’s just another Republican who thinks religion and government should go hand in hand. Well, you’d be half-right – this blatant violation of the Establishment Clause is brought to you by a Democrat. Because whilst the GOP has the market cornered on Christian-fascism, religion is a rot that crosses the aisle.

(via Friendly Atheist)