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A RESOLUTION

Designating May 1, 2003, as "School Bus Drivers Day" in Pennsylvania.

WHEREAS, School bus drivers are important in safely transporting our children to and from school, and

WHEREAS, School bus drivers provide an invaluable service for children and families throughout this Commonwealth, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives designate May 1, 2002 as "School Bus Drivers Day" in Pennsylvania.

Dubious Day Of Prayer

Early in May, the National Day of Prayer will be observed – as it always is – in Montrose and elsewhere across the country. I don’t think that this event should occur without prospective participants being reminded of what Jesus directed concerning prayer. It is in Matthew 6:5-6. Basically he says not to make a public display of prayer, but to keep it a private matter. Public observances of the National Day of Prayer violate the clear instructions of Jesus.

There’s another reason to avoid the official observance. Since the late 80’s, an organization called the National Day of Prayer Task Force has taken the lead in organizing and promoting NDP activities across the country. This organization is chaired by Shirley Dobson, wife of James Dobson, a leading player in the Religious Right. Apparently, the NDPTF has seized control of this event in order to promote both a Fundamentalist slant to it and a right-wing Theocratic agenda.

Those who wish to participate in the National Day of Prayer should ask themselves if prayer is something they want to do, at the behest of government anyway. The Day was established by an Act of Congress in 1952, part of a string of patently unconstitutional, symbolic gestures motivated by a desire to combat "godless Communism." (They also tampered with the words of the original Pledge of Allegiance, replaced E Pluribus Unum, and blasphemously put God on our money, thus creating the Almighty Dollar.)

It is not government’s place to tell people when, where, or especially how to pray. Whoever wishes to pray on this day should do so at home, out of respect for the Constitution and the instructions of Jesus. I will pray that the Religious Right will, out of long overdue respect for both, disband completely.

Sincerely,

Stephen Van Eck

Rushville, PA

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