Thoughts in a Haystack

I thought I'd warm up for the Blog Against Theocracy weekend which, coincidentally I'm sure, happens to be Easter weekend this year. If you want to participate in Blog Against Theocracy, you can find the details here (along with the cool logo) and the form for submitting your entries here. Now to the present tale:

persistent

ADJECTIVE: 1. Refusing to give up or let go; persevering obstinately. 2. Insistently repetitive or continuous: a persistent ringing of the telephone. 3. Existing or remaining in the same state for an indefinitely long time; enduring: persistent rumors; a persistent infection. 4. Botany Lasting past maturity without falling off, as the calyx on an eggplant or the scales of a pine cone. 5. Zoology Retained permanently, rather than disappearing in an early stage of development: the persistent gills of fishes.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

Sometimes persistence can be an admirable trait. Other times it can be the hallmark of a deep stupidity. I'll let you judge which category this falls into: "Slow Learners: ACLU Sues Louisiana School Board – Again" by Rob Boston of Americans United for Separation of Church and State:

There are certain things you can count on. The sun will rise in the east and set in the west. Old Faithful will erupt. And, every few years, the American Civil Liberties Union will sue the Tangipahoa Parish School Board in Louisiana.

The members of this board seem to be having difficulty grasping the concept of separation of church and state.

The last time I looked at this particular bastion of anti-American disregard of our Constitution, they had racked up five suits by the ACLU, all of which they lost or had to settle. That I have not been vigilant is demonstrated by the fact that a new lawsuit marks the seventh time the ACLU has taken the Tangipahoa board to court:

This time, the issue is prayer before board meetings. In August 2007, the board adopted a policy stating that clergy from "religious congregations with an established presence in the local community" will be invited to give invocations prior to school board meetings. The board president gets to decide who makes the cut, essentially giving him veto power over the prayers.

"Yet again the Tangipahoa Parish School Board has indicated that it favors some residents over others, and would rather waste taxpayer money on litigation than follow the law," Marjorie R. Esman, Executive Director of the ACLU Foundation of Louisiana, said in a press release. "The Constitution does not permit school boards to endorse or promote religion, because the government must remain neutral to religion. The Tangipahoa Parish School Board is well aware of this bedrock legal principle, but chooses to flout the law rather than to obey it."

You know that wall conservatives are so anxious to build along our border with Mexico? If the folks in Tangipahoa Parish are so dissatisfied with American law, maybe we could arrange a little detour around the place.
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