Show - BA ' VI’- jm ' t- - 13 : -- Jts t NATIONAL Suncdyjuna 18 1395 School prayer issue one side the debate has been heard Screes Howard News Serve wj1 1 HARRISONBURG Va - Standing before nearly 500 people who had turned out oa a sweltering Saturday afternoon to show their support for prayer in public schools Jon Anderson recounted how he renounced drugs as a high school student after converting to conservative Christianity There were appreciative nods from the crowd many of whom brought then Bibles and their children with them to the Harrisonburg High School auditorium for the first of a senes of field hearings by the House Judiciary Committee’s constitutional law subcommittee But the smiles turned to gasps of anger when Anderson 31 now a cellular telephone salesman said school administrators threatened him with suspension after he began leading 22 students in prayer in the library before class each day “We need the freedom of expression We want to express ourselves and we are being told not to in some cases" Anderson told the committee The committee is expected to approve a constitutional amendment that would if enacted change the free speech and religious liberty protections of the First Amendment for the first time in more than 200 years New amendment? The amendment would prayer in public schools and broadly allow prayer and other expressions of faith by government employees performing official duties as well as the display of religious symbols in government buildings The amendment is the top legislative priority of the Religious Right whose leaders say it is necessary to rectify government hostility toward religion Its exact wording is still being worked out by conservative Cliris-tia- n activists It’s an issue dear to the hearts many voters here in the Shenandoah Valley a regional bedrock of religious conservatism Local public school students leave their classrooms in the middle of the day to attend Bibe study classes in trailers just off school property effectively transversing the wall of separation between church and state Republican House leaders who credit religious conservatives’ organizing in part for the GOP’s sweep of last year’s elections have promised to bring the amendment to the floor for a vote probably later this year saf r3 £ y :FREE Other hearings are scheduled this summer for New York City Tampa Fla Oklahoma City and Washington DC Critics charge that a draft of the amendment being circulated by conservatives would overturn 26 major Supreme Court decisions and allow a variety of behavior that could be intimidating to religious minorities: teachers proselytizing to students judges expressing their religious views to juries and nulitary officers discussing God while addressing their troops It also would permit Nativity scenes on courthouse lawns and the display of crosses the Ten Commandments and pictures of Jesus in public buildings Besides critics add religious expression that does not trample the rights of minorities is already protected by the Constitution Despite the stories that amendment supporters tell of students punished for saying grace over lunch or arrested for gathering at flagpoles to pray “it almost always turns out that some facts have been conveniently omitted or that the other side of the story has not been told" said Rob Boston a spokesman for Americans United for Separation of Church and State ' Anderson acknowledged to a reporter after leaving the Harrisonburg auditorium that m his case school administrators were responding to a complaint from a parent who objected to her son’s participation in the prayer group Administrators also offered to allow the prayer group to meet in school if they applied to become an officially recognized student organization with a faculty adviser Anderson said Instead the group “chose to go off campus” he said Swinging pendulum ‘WINDSHIELD!: :$ Xjc: a rrtd Aprstd by CL&5 ACT a! zszzz :asir2ujt3CKh:Cdci?: Glass Act Dnwn of the am 1 392-107- 2 Gnr ChihT STORAGE y tr 04 psB£X JEEP Features: Fits AH The point Anderson said is that he was a victim of bias “It’s obvious the pendulum has swung so far that it’s oppressi”e to those who are expressing free speech” he said Barbara Gardner 41 the wife of a dairy farmer and a mother of eight who teaches her children at home rather than send them to public schools said schools already are trying to impose a secular viewpoint on ftf 1000 Lb TgWL 10000 Towing Wt 73" in Length Can be Purchased Without Receiver Hitch Two Lights anti-religio- && Comes With Hitch Ail Weather Sealing Stainless Steel Face Alum Diamond Plate Top Heavy Duty Steel Back Two Security Locks CJ5CJ7 Easy to Install Opens Without Tire Removal 59 in Length y yx Std Truck Features: Bumper Features Call Mow For More Information 479-984- or 1 3 1115 N -8- 00-229-8436 Ash Drive Layton Cat leaves $250000 estate to community in Oregon TANGENT Ore (AP) - She was perhaps the fattest cat in Oregon - in terms of her inheritance that is Now Kitty Cat the feline who inherited her owner’s $250000 estate in 1983 has died And the city is the new heir Longtime caretaker Dale Clark said Kitty Cat stopped eating so he took her to the veterinarian “She just wasn’t coming out of it” Clark said The city will gam ownership of farmhouse the 1916 once owned by Kitty Cat’s owner John Bass The former restaurateur had no children by either of his two wives Both died before him City recorder Georgia Edwards m i ISA A A A AA of Many feel only 4 rJ 4:' jsiit was unprepared Friday for the news of Kitty Cat’s demise “I don’t know what we’re gomg to do” she said Bass’ will requires that the city maintains the property as a historical site Clark 71 the caretaker who looked after Kitty Cat lived in a mobile home on the property for 16 years and will be allowed to stay said attorney Roger Reid who handled the estate Kitty Cat was put to sleep on Tuesday and her remains were cred wooden casket mated A was made in 1990 and Kitty Cat has long had a marble tombstone that reads “Kitty Cat: A True cat-size- Friend” Select from over fabrics 20 in-sto- ck 4 k Wl 4 - i v s f fZ 1 '4 For a limited time only your sofa for only $395 as shown This price includes fabric labor and free skirting Call now for a free estimate by one of our expert upholstery sales consultants Sale ends June 30 Additional charges for extras 5 in-ho- Picture Show Your Downtown Cottonwood OgdonLayton Hills OremProvo Salt Lake Idaho Falls Pocatello St 579-746-7 579-612- 778-210- 6 0 227-308- 3 525-402- 'Available for Macintosh and compatible formats No other software necessary Each disc holds up to 40 prints 2 OGDEN-85- 1 238-461- 7 634-493- Ceorge photos on aIBMfloppy disc 9 HarrisvIlH 24th For A 3 S 1900 North Main N Store In Your Area tie e number Call our 7 days a week 24 hours a day including holidays: TDD toll-fre- 1000-685-535- 5 4 ‘M Z C JNI I Fairfield Rd54M8S3 (1833) 7 am-- 6 pm PST Serving our speech and hearing Impaired customers Mon-F- Dreg Stores 5M Users Call ri r |