[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 24183]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                PRAYING NOW BANNED FOR FOOTBALL PLAYERS

  (Mr. TRAFICANT asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, a football team in Texas was overheard 
saying a prayer. My colleagues guessed it, now there is a lawsuit to 
ban football players in high school from praying. Unbelievable.
  Mr. Speaker, even though the First Amendment states Congress shall 
make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion, children cannot 
pray in school. School functions cannot mention God. Now football teams 
cannot pray.
  What is next? Are they going to ban the Hail Mary pass in football? 
Beam me up. A Nation that outlaws God, so help me God, is inviting the 
Devil.
  I yield back the trampled rights of the majority of the American 
people.

                          ____________________