As this headline on Rachel Maddow’s blog says, “Publicly funded religion for me, not for thee.”
We told you last month that a Louisiana legislator had turned against an already-passed private school voucher scheme in his state because a Muslim school had applied to accept those tax dollars. But he’s not the only state lawmaker who has problems with the concept of religious freedom:
‘I liked the idea of giving parents the option of sending their children to a public school or a Christian school,’ (Republican state Rep. Valarie) Hodges said.
Hodges mistakenly assumed that ‘religious’ meant ‘Christian.’
HB976, now signed into law as Act 2, proposed, among other things, a voucher program allowing state educational funds to be used to send students to schools run by religious groups …
‘Unfortunately it will not be limited to the Founders’ religion,’ Hodges said. ‘We need to insure that it does not open the door to fund radical Islam schools. There are a thousand Muslim schools that have sprung up recently. I do not support using public funds for teaching Islam anywhere here in Louisiana.’
Yes, you read that right: she wanted the taxpayer-funded program limited to schools that teach “the Founders’ religion.” But the Constitution doesn’t work that way, Rep. Hodges.
Our friends at Americans United for Separation of Church and State have more here.
