Ernest Istook: “And the religious freedom amendment is intended to protect these to say that the standard ought to be the same as it is…”

“And the religious freedom amendment is intended to protect these to say that the standard ought to be the same as it is for the Pledge of Allegiance. If they do not want to say it, that is fine, but that does not mean that they can stop other students that may want to have a prayer in public school. Take the Supreme Court's decisions on nativity scenes, the Allegheny v. Pittsburgh ACLU case from the Supreme Court, where they said they cannot have a nativity scene or a Jewish menorah, they were both covered on public property there, because there was not in the same line of sight secular emblems, Santa Claus, plastic reindeer, and so forth. In Jersey City, New Jersey, gosh, over 30 different religions have been permitted by Mayor Bret Schundler to put their religious emblems on City Hall property, but they got sued over the nativity scene. And the judge said, well, they have done it for the other religions, that is fine, and they put out a manger scene, and they have put here secular emblems, Santa Claus, the plastic reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, but it is still not good enough because the nativity scene is just too powerful, and it has got to go. So that was another Federal court ruling this last December. Outrageous. But it comes from the U.S. Supreme Court's case and the Allegheny case.”