Religious Teapot Tempest

Religious Teapot Tempest

Oh, great someone or something way up there high in the sky we ask your blessings. Amen.

That wasn’t precisely the prayer dictated by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2008. In fact, no prayer was dictated but the tradition of permitting Virginia State Police chaplains to invoke the name of Jesus Christ was ended in favor of a non-denominational “prayer,” if it could be called a prayer, to be offered at all official police functions.

Favored by then-governor Tim Kaine (D), the new rule effectively ended a policy in place since the founding of the volunteer police chaplains organization in 1979. The old rule was just re-instituted by Republican Governor Bob McDonnell.

The new governor said through a spokesman that, “The Governor does not believe the state should tell chaplains of any faith how to pray,” adding, “The Governor believes that longstanding bipartisan policy is the appropriate one. This policy puts the State Police chaplains in the same position as those in the United States Military, Virginia National Guard and other law enforcement agencies:” http://bit.ly/aS4Rsc

Case closed? Hardly. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1654)

Hope and Failure in America's Schools, Part One

Hope and Failure in America's Schools, Part One

. . . Three-quarters of the way through the 2009-2010 school year, schools are very much in the news, both in the good news category and the not so good.

Today, from the Good News Department offering hope for the future:

Virginia Senate Votes to Expand Charter Schools: Much to the chagrin of the National Education Association, President Obama recently endorsed the idea of charter schools as a way of improving and reforming education. The new Republican governor of Virginia, Bob McDonnell, favors charters as well and now Virginia’s Democratic-controlled Senate is on record as supporting their expansion following approval by the Republican-controlled House of Delegates. . .
(Read more at http://www.genelalor.com/blog1/?p=1557)