[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11816]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                        PRAYER AT FOOTBALL GAMES

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, the Supreme Court begins every session every 
day with a prayer that goes something like this, ``God save the United 
States and this honorable court.'' This Congress, every Congress begins 
every session every day with a prayer by a chaplain paid with tax 
dollars.
  The First Amendment to the Constitution prohibits the Federal 
government from creating any law prohibiting the free exercise of 
religion, yet the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that students may not 
give voluntary prayers before football games even if students vote to 
do so.
  In issuing this football prayer decision, the Supreme Court fumbled. 
They fumbled before. There is nothing sacrosanct about the Supreme 
Court decision. They reversed themselves over 100 times in our Nation's 
history.
  They fumbled in 1857 when they said Dred Scott was not a person 
because of the color of his skin. The Supreme Court fumbled Monday when 
it ruled against free voluntary speech. Rather than preserving our 
rights, the court eroded them, and they ensured years of costly 
litigation for lawyers.
  But I hope, yes I pray, if I am allowed to do so, that one day this 
decision will be overturned also.

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