The San Antonio Tea Party celebrates with the students of Medina Valley High School in nearby Castroville in the recognition that they can legally, with court protection, exercise their God-given and Constitutionally-affirmed right to offer a prayer of thanks at their high school graduation.  Ironic  that our country has come to that, but it is true.

As most will know, because of a parent protest that religious references are offensive and therefore unconstitutional, a U.S. District Judge ruled that any reference to “Jesus Christ,” “prayer,” “invocation,” “benediction,” or even “amen” could not be uttered during the ceremony.  Fortunately, the students and community found powerful support in Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott , the Liberty Institute , and the Medina Valley Independent School District . Only hours before the event, their appeal to the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeal was victorious in allowing the ceremony to proceed with prayer as the students and community desired.

This is only the latest in a series of such successful protests dating from the 1960s.  Results are often the same: the sensitivities of those offended by free speech and religious exercise are given greater regard than the rights of the majority to speak or pray.  So why is this of concern to the Tea Party?  After all, isn’t a graduation prayer a far cry from protests of “taxed enough already?”  There are at least three good reasons we watch these proceedings, weigh in with our support, and celebrate this victory.

First is foundational.  While limited taxation and fiscal responsibility is our primary concern, those grow out of respect for and adherence to a Constitution.  Within that supreme law are contained rights and limits, guarantees and safeguards, which define our framework for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness our Founding Fathers referenced in declaring our independence.  These ideals lay the foundation on which we build our country and culture, and through which we can confidently demand limited taxation and fiscal responsibility from our government.  Key to that exercise are our personal freedoms, two of which are free speech and religious expression.  An assault on any part of the Constitution is an assault on the entire Constitution; a weakening of any freedom not only weakens the whole, but calls into question the entire system.

Second is our respect for individual liberty.  Minority opinions must be tolerated, respected, and even encouraged.  The marketplace of ideas must remain open and free, for a society becomes stronger when opposing viewpoints are given voice. Even within a community of majority rule, minority rights must be respected.  Yet, no society can stand under the tyranny of the minority.  To eliminate any idea if not unanimously accepted would be to eradicate not only all religious expression, but also expressions of nationalism, patriotism, and even culture itself.  Within a free society, reasonable citizens must understand and accept some ideas expressed may be different than their own, and in some cases even distasteful, but in all cases (unless direct harm can be proved) tolerated.

Third is the fact that America is a land built on a Judeo-Christian heritage.  That is a historical truth that predates the Constitution, was the worldview perspective of its Framers, and was the judicial thinking upon which it was written.  While those who argue the slippery slope that Judeo-Christian religious expression may open the door to all kinds of less popular religious expression, we would caution that fear of what could happen should never limit the rights spelled out clearly in the Constitution.

Congratulations to the students of Medina Valley High School, not only on the occasion of your graduation, but also for your lesson in advocacy of Constitutional rights even as you graduate.  Your—and ultimately our—victory is not only symbolic; it is the substance that allows us to advocate for our core beliefs concerning Constitutional government, that includes limited taxation and fiscal responsibility.

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