Andrea Joy Campbell: “Under existing law, if a student group wants to invite a political figure to address their graduation, they may do so. I…”

“Under existing law, if a student group wants to invite a political figure to address their graduation, they may do so. I remember my brother's graduation. Ramsey Clark was invited, and he gave a political speech. If that same group of students invites a religious person, however, that religious person may not give a prayer. That is the Supreme Court ruling in 1992. A second example: Right now, if a political group wants to hold a meeting and express themselves at a public park, they may do so, and there is no obligation that anybody else must be there to water down what they say. Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Communist, Independent, all their speech is permitted, with no obligation for anybody else to have to be there to water down what they say. Yet, if a religious group wants to put up a menorah at Chanukka time or a manger scene at Christmastime, the Supreme Court has held it may not do so unless there are also items of non-religious significance so surrounding the manger, so surrounding the menorah, as to deprive it of its religious content. This is what is known, rather sadly, as the infamous 'plastic reindeer rule' of the Supreme Court, that you can only put up a crib at Christmastime if you have enough Frosty the Snowmen, candy canes, snowflakes, and reindeer so as to deprive the religious component of the message.”