Just a question?

["Sue Hovey" <suehovey@moscow.com>]

Wolfgang,  did you really write this response to the message sent by Don
Coombs?  I reread his response to Cliff a couple of times and can't
understand what was in it to set you off.  I have enjoyed reading what you
have to say at other times--you seem to be so reasonable.  The very poignant
article which Cliff forwarded to us, among other things, made a point that
there is no longer prayer in school.  Don and I and others would disagree
with that opinion, and simply point out that there is prayer in schools and
students are welcome to participate in it with each other.  Opinions come
from many perspectives as to whether there should be a formal time within
the school day set aside for prayer (and, or Bible reading) led by the
teacher or other adult.  I grew up with that tradition as a public school
student in Texas.  For a time I taught in schools that held to this
tradition.  And from my perspective, such a practice amounts to coercion.
After a lot of years of thinking about it, I have come to the conclusion
that any prayer that would satisfy the parents of children in my classes who
might be a mixture of Baptist, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Mormon, or
Agnostic, would be a weak excuse for what should always be a powerful
exercise of religious faith.  I know there are many people for whom I have
great respect who would disagree, but I decided long ago to refuse to
participate in such an exercise were I ever to teach in a school that
mandated it--assuming the Court overturned the prohibition.

And one more short point.  Your line, "It is little pucks like you that some
of us defended long ago in a far away place,"  is a non sequitur.    And I
think you probably meant pukes--but maybe not.  It's not at all unlikely
that people who disagree with you might also have been fighting for your
right to disagree with them--even in the same war.  When people use that
line with me, I think of it as a cover up for a weak arguement.

Sue
-----Original Message-----
From: Wolfgang Schwartzenweintraub <wolfman@turbonet.com>
To: Don Coombs <dcoombs@uidaho.edu>; Cliff Fallon <fallon@eecs.wsu.edu>
Cc: vision2020@moscow.com <vision2020@moscow.com>
Date: Thursday, February 10, 2000 6:10 AM
Subject: Re: COLUMBINE AND GOD IN THE SCHOOLS?


>Coombs your entitled to your opinion that is what a lot of people in this
>world would say myself included.  I do not agree with your attitude nor do
I
>respect your views or small talk about the Lord, God, Jesus Christ.  If you
>said those things to me in the middle of a wheat field and not on the
>University of Idaho campus I would take you apart limb by limb.  You aren't
>man enough to back yourself up.  It is little pucks like you that some of
us
>defended many years ago in a far away place.  We defended your right to
make
>us sick with your rhetoric. You have the right to say what you want about
>some of us and our Lord.  But, don't flatter yourself to think you are
clear
>of me on this one. If prayer brings peace to some people why should you
>care.  What is your alternative Don?  Would you have us slaughter a sheep
>and toss the blood all over the wall of Columbine high school in the name
of
>Satan?  Would you have every body explain things to you in terms only you
>appreciate.  What the dickens does taxes have to do with all of this any
>way.  Are you one of those wheat farmer that live around here on the
biggest
>welfare program in existence.  Are you tired of buying Cadillacs for them
>with subsidized money?  What really has your shorts tied in a square knot
>Don?  You seem like a candidate for management anger consoling. With all
due
>respect;
>
>Wolfgang M. Schwartzenweitraub
>
>********************************************************
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Don Coombs" <dcoombs@uidaho.edu>
>To: "Cliff Fallon" <fallon@eecs.wsu.edu>
>Cc: <vision2020@moscow.com>
>Sent: Wednesday, February 09, 2000 9:54 PM
>Subject: Re: COLUMBINE AND GOD IN THE SCHOOLS?
>
>
>> Whose God? If you are open to having all the faiths represented
(including
>> some I myself consider weird but would never think of identifying
>> here) then I guess I see no flaw in your argument--
>>
>> Unless you were thinking of not allowing atheist and agnostic point of
>> views to be represented, even though atheists and agnostics pay taxes.
>>
>> I found the point that God had been returned to the public schools
because
>> students prayed during the Columbine massacre --
>>
>> I found that a little tacky.
>>
>> There has always been prayer in the schools, as the joke goes, before
>> exams. Coercing people into praying your prayer to your God in a public
>> school doesn't seem a great idea to me.
>>
>> But I'll bet you're happy with the U.S. Congress -- rejecting the
>> appointment of someone as chaplain because he was a Jew. Apparently the
>> chaplain is always a Protestant.
>>
>> Don H. Coombs
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>