<p>ACLJ</a> • American Center for Law & Justice</p>
<p>The website listed above, has a petition of support being sent to Admiral Fowler from Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow, of the American Center for Law and Justice. The ACLJ focues on constitutional law and freedoms that constitution protects. He has argued multiple cases in front of the Supreme Court. His letter of support to Admiral Fowler is compelling in both support and legal backing for the Naval Academy continuing this tradition, dating back to its founding. Please go to the above mentioned website, sign the petition of support and send this link to your contacts. This is one thing we can do to help keep this tradition in tact.</p>
<p>Stand With U.S. Naval Academy on Prayer </p>
<p>If the ACLU gets its way, it will bring an end to a time-honored tradition at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. For more than 160 years now, theres been mealtime prayer at noon at the Naval Academy. But the ACLU is threatening a federal lawsuit and says it will sue unless the Naval Academy ends this practice.</p>
<p>Weve responded quickly and have sent a legal memorandum outlining the constitutionality of this practice to the Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy. </p>
<p>We spell out clearly why the ACLU is wrong in its insistence that this voluntary prayer is unconstitutional and violates the First Amendment.</p>
<p>The Supreme Court of the United States understands the different role that the military holds in society and has noted on several occasions that the military in important respects remains a specialized society separate from civilian society. The high court has also said that the different character of the military community and of the military mission requires a different application of The First Amendment.</p>
<p>Our history is replete with references to God and to religion. These are just a few of the examples we cited in our letter:</p>
<p>In addition, given the very real threat of harm posed by their commitment to the American war effort, the signers of the Declaration of Independence concluded with an appeal to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions and a statement of firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence. Use of the slogan In God We Trust dates back to the War of 1812. In September 1814, fearing for the fate of his country while watching the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in Baltimore, American Francis Scott Key composed the poem the Star Spangled Banner. The last verse of the poemwhich is now our national anthemstates: Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, and this be our motto: In God is our trust. </p>
<p>During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincolns Gettysburg Address of 1863 proclaimed that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom. The national motto, In God We Trust, first appeared on coins the following year. The Battle Hymn of the Republicpopularized during the Civil Waris replete with religious references.</p>
<p>The fact is the lunchtime prayer at the Naval Academy is voluntary and voluntary public acknowledgement of God is uniquely compatible with military service.</p>
<p>We also note that the lunchtime prayer is part of the very fabric of the Naval Academy:</p>
<p>A reasonable observer of the Naval Academys prayer tradition realizes that the practice has become engrained into the fabric of daily life at the Academy. The lunch prayer encourages religious tolerance, aids students in reflecting on their own beliefs, and allows midshipmen to celebrate the American tradition of expressing thanksgiving. As one parent of a midshipman recently explained, I think the mids understand they have to live in a world of diversity, and have to learn to tolerate other religious beliefs. A reasonable person who observes the prayer would think tradition, camaraderie, unity, and service, not sectarian strife or religious establishment.</p>
<p>In addition, Congress specifically approved of the voluntary prayer at the Naval Academy. Recognizing the importance of voluntary prayer at the Naval Academy and other federal service academies, Congress stated in 2006 that "[t]he superintendent of a service academy may have in effect such policy as the superintendent considers appropriate with respect to the offering of a voluntary, nondenominational prayer at an otherwise authorized activity of the academy, subject to the United States Constitution and such limitations as the Secretary of Defense may prescribe."</p>
<p>But the fact is, we need your help. Our legal position is clear but we need to send a powerful message of support to the Naval Academy asking them to stand firm and to keep the prayer in place. </p>
<p>You can make a difference and voice your support right by adding your name to our online Proclamation of Solidarity for the Naval Academy </p>
<p>The Naval Academys longstanding tradition of having a chaplain offer a brief word of prayer before lunch does not violate the First Amendment. The Naval Academy has not endorsed a particular religious viewpoint. We want to encourage the Naval Academy to stay the course and continue this longstanding tradition.</p>
<p>Join with us now in sending this message of support.</p>