So much for your Freedom of Speech

This is always the case - it's always ONE PERSON offended that brings in a sweeping change. And let's be honest. They're not really friggin' offended. They feing offense because they can, because they'll be listened to and catered to. Here's what I have to say to the one person's parents: Go pluck yourselves. If your kid will hear "God" and be harmed, he's a little sissy boy who you should have let play dodgeball and taken the switch to instead of using your timeouts. Now this poor schmuck is doomed to a lifetime of therapy when he accidentally catches an old rerun of Highway to Heaven. Now he'll go limp and fail at life when he watches the next Morgan-Freeman-as-God movie, Cliff Almighty. He might kamikaze his way out in a minivan should he accidentally hit the remote and change to a Christian channel. There are a lot of people in this country who are not religious and want nothing to do with prayer. You're looking at one right here. However, even though I might giggle to myself while people are praying, I fully respect their right to do so, and I know that it's not going to harm me any more than people singing Christmas carols or telling me to have a nice day when I leave Burger King! These types of idiots file lawsuits because the precedent has been sent. If you live in America, the supposed land of the free and home of the brave, your feelings are protected in a lot of courts. Things you do not agree with become big-time cases for schmuck lawyers seeking idiots for clients. Judges have no back bone. Tell people that they're being ridiculous sissies and watch how suddenly people stop being "offended" by inconsequential things like prayer.

If I were a graduating student, I would probably try to get all the students to shout "Amen" as they toss their caps in the air. Let them arrest the entire graduating class. Speakers should be allowed to speak freely. If the school fears their speech is inappropriate, then they shouldn't invite those speakers. The Valedictorian has earned the right to that speech and his or her speech shouldn't be interfered with. If that one student would be irreparably harmed by any mention of religion, then that student should be cloistered immediately after graduation. There won't be any living in the real world for that kid. In the real world it's more difficult to get judges to forbid others to say things you don't like. I always find it interesting that these types are never irreparably harmed by the mention of any religion except Christianity. Don't they realize that by that one peculiarity, they are essentially admitting that it's the only empowered religion, the only one that can cause them to feel ill at ease with their own choices, the only one that pr1cks their consciences? Just sayin'...

I suppose that atheistic communist judge also bans prayers for a school team to win, or someone praying that he would passGods name shall not be used in vain, but I suspect that the ban was not because of that reason. Just another example of secularism in America.

Personally, it doesn't bother me when people TALK about god. What bothers me is when those same people don't practice what they preach. Don't you just hate activist judges that screw with this great country? Damn shame we can't do anything about the activist court in the country, but the Supreme Court has life terms, and the milk every second of it.

Well, I'd counter with 'it would do ME irreparable harm to be forbidden to mention God. And why is it MUSLIM prayer and teachings can be uttered in schools? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7-I9Qp3d4Y In late May of 2010, Wellesley, Massachusetts public middle school students took a field trip to the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center - a controversial Saudi-funded mega-mosque run by the Muslim American Society of Bostn. There, the students were separated by gender and the boys were asked to join the Muslim adults in their prayer. Several of the public school boys took part.

I think in speeches where there are visitors of various religions present, it is really irrelevant to be using those words. As a respect to other religion these words should really be banned. However, for me it is wrong for the speaker to be punished for it by incarceration. Maybe it would have been better, if whoever will be giving a speech, he/she should be sternly warned not to use those words lest she/he will be made to stop even in the middle of her speech. At least it's a justifiable punishment.

The Standard for Student speech has been for years that the school can not control the students speech. When I was a Principal every year at Graduation time I would received a letter from the ACLU and the Center for Law and Justice and they told me two things 1. The School could not restrict the students speech. 2. The School could not encourage or allow religious speech. The rule we were told to follow by our lawyers was not to ask a student to give a prayer or blessing. Instead have the student give a welcoming. Do not tell the students what they can and can not say in their speech, I had the following statement approved by lawyers: "You speech should be appropriate to the occasion (graduation). You are talking to your classmates, parents, grand parents and community members." One of the best speeches I had was a boy, selected by the students, who gave the main speech. As he ended his speech he asked the class and audience to "take a moment and think of all the people you should thank for your success, Your Parents, Teachers, friends, supporters and Jesus Christ Amen." The speech was not religious in nature but he did get the prayer before anyone knew they were praying.

I WISH they would have tried this bull$hit when I was graduating highschool. I can assure you I would have said each and every word that was banned. I'd LOVE to be the one fighting that battle in court. I'd be an instant celebrity.

According the the Examiner, the ruling was appealed and reversed. Kudos to the appeals judge. I hate atheists and agnostics who get their panties in a twist over stuff like this. It doesn't hurt anyone to sit quietly while a peer prays, and if it does, then they need to get some thicker skin.

This is getting ridiculous,. I know it has been overturned since this was posted but still. Someone getting up and praying in a graduation speech is not government establishing religion. In fact, not letting someone pray during said speech is a violation of their religious freedom ("nor prohibiting the free exercise thereof"). I could care less if a graduate wants to say amen, drop a prayer rug and face Mecca for a minute, put on a yarmulke and read from the Torah or hold an Athame in praise and thanks to the goddess. It's their religion and it is their right to express and practice it. No on was forcing anyone else to pray.

Schools personally I believe to be a good place to challenge ones ideas and beliefs I mean it got me to wake up from the Roman Catholic Church and to also challenge my understanding. This isn't an issue of whether or not it is a purge of a Religious Idea it is an issue of ones freedom to freely associate with a Religion or Belief system and this is a freedom of Speech or as Ron Paul would say a First Amendment issue which the Federal Government has no right to step into. I mean really. This is scary really scary. But I mean the feds can control who you marry and what you do with your body. So it doesn't surprise me.

Whether or not the school abides by the judges ruling, I believe it should send a letter to Christa and Danny Schultz telling them their son will not be participating in the schools graduation ceremonies do to the irreparable harm his presence would cause the whole graduating class. His certificate will be mailed to him.

It is a good thing that the Judge was not here when this country was founded, because then most of our for-founders would have been in trouble because they freely talked about God, and used prayer to help guide them to make the right decisions. Prayer is used to open a session in congress........... They are taking away are freedoms one at a time, and as long as we all sit and say or do nothing no one is to blame but us. This not only effects our freedom of speech but our freedom of religion.

This is a blatantly horrific example of how laws have skewed society. We had ten commandments before, but now we have thousands of laws that change depending on your state, country, or region. The freedom of speech - a very old and long-standing constitutional right - is pitted against a new and seemingly poorly-thought-out law on using religious (Catholic in particular) language in public discourse. There is obviously some conflict and contradiction here. If the language were being forced onto students and they were being told to repeat the words forcefully, then this would be a problem. However, from the context it is merely a request for the audience to WILLINGLY follow the instruction of uttering "join us in prayer" and the like. If a student so wishes not to participate, there are no sanctions. If a student does not want to listen, by all means cover your ears. There is no coercion by force being enacted. Therefore the law is entirely baseless. If you are a parent or student who chooses to go to a school with Catholic roots, then by God understand the repercussions of such a decision. Respect the school's majority belief and they shall respect your minority beliefs. They still go on vacation on Muslim holidays! The biggest problem really here is the terms of punishment. How can uttering these words for the public harmful? How does it impinge on others' rights to the point of deserving jail time? This is another perfect example of judicial extremism. Sad but true.

this isn't anything new although its sad.