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Religious Freedom in Public Schools

Educating Our Children > Religious Freedom in Public Schools
We urge school administrators and officials to inform Texas school students specifically of their First Amendment rights to pray and engage in religious speech, individually or in groups, on school property without government interference. We support and strongly urge Congress to pass a Religious Freedom Amendment, which provides: "Neither the United States nor any State shall prohibit student-sponsored prayer in public schools, nor compose any official student prayer or compel joining therein." We urge the Legislature to end censorship of discussion of religion in our founding documents, and encourage discussing those documents.
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It is wildly inappropriate to push "school administrators and officials" into a role traditionally held by parents and churches.

Courts have consistently upheld personal or student-initiatied right to prayer. What is unconstitutional is when student-initiated prayer becomes de facto policy, such as what brought about Santa Fe Independent School Dist. v. Doe.

The proposed amendment is dangerous. It would tacitly endorse public schooling on a federal level, creating a "gateway drug" to enhancing federal oversight of schools. Also, contemporary interpretaion of the First Amendment strongly defends most student-initiated prayer as free speech and defends against compulsory prayer.

Key founding documents in fact have minimal references to religion. There is no evidence of censorship.

Fault:

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Restoring American Sovereignty and Leadership > International Relations > Taiwan
We urge full recognition of Taiwan with a "One China, One Taiwan Policy." Being a long-time ally of the United States as well as an independent and sovereign nation, we call upon the President and the U.S. State Department to strongly support the people of Taiwan.
Reason:

This would be a drastic change in existing policy that would only provoke China. While it is understandable to want resolution, the current "stalemate" has resulted in de facto independent nations.

The issue of independence is one that Taiwan can and should work out internally.

extreme

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