ACHD
ACHD To Consider Opening With Prayer
February 21, 2015 
At the Feb. 25 Ada County Highway District meeting, commishes will consider the Boise City “Hockey Puck” parking meter issue and a proposed resolution to offer local “religious leaders” a chance to perform an invocation prayer to open their deliberations.
The hockey pucks are old news–Boise wants to embed devices in the pavement to erase parking meter time if a vehicle leaves a spot.
The news event will be how the five members vote on the prayer proposal. The ACHD legal counsel has offered up an opinion regarding prayer at the open meetings. The short version is the U.S. Supreme Court has previously ruled that as long as ALL religions are offered a chance at the public pulpit, it’s OK.
The staff came up with three choices:
1–Adopt the proposal
2–Reject the proposal
3–Adopt a policy to provide a moment of silence
The six pages of background and the resolution itself contains a sample invitation which will be offered to all faiths and denominations to pray “according to the dictates of your own conscience.” The invite warns to not use the prayer opportunity to disparage any faith or attempt to convert.
These things can be humorous and amusing. Boise City Councilors open with a prayer and former Councilor Alan Shealy was known for standing, but not closing his eyes or bowing his head during the prayer, much to the disgust of fellow councilor Vern Bisterfeldt.
When asked how HE knew Shealy didn’t close his eyes during the prayer since he (Bisterfeldt) claimed to observe the practice by closing HIS eyes, Bisterfeldt responded, “I caught him on the video!”
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Feb 21, 2015, 10:28 pm
I want to hold a prayer for Flying Spaghetti Monsterism. May his noodly appendages touch the ACHD meetings!
Feb 22, 2015, 4:45 am
You know, I like the idea of a non-debatable, must observe 60 seconds of silence any time any of the Commissioners so requests at any time during any legally constituted meeting. As every parent and teacher knows a well timed time-out can sometimes be very beneficial. If the Commissioners wish to use such time for prayer for the enlightenment of others, so be it.
Feb 22, 2015, 7:38 am
Open with a prayer? What a waste of taxpayer money to pay legal staff to study this issue. C’mon ACHD! Reject the proposal. Perhaps concentrate your money and effort on roads?
Feb 22, 2015, 11:59 am
Reject the proposal.
Feb 22, 2015, 12:12 pm
Holier than thou is often lowlier than thou: I don’t think we should bother God with matters as trivial as ANYTHING decided by the ACHD Commissioners. This seems to be a matter of inflated self-importance.
Please just shut-up and start spending more money on the roads. Like so many government fiefdoms and charities, the money is going less and less to the public good.
I could see some justification for blessing a road / bridge / firetruck / airplane etc… considering how dangerous that daily game of transportation is for all of us.
Feb 22, 2015, 1:33 pm
SIX pages?
And their pre-meeting Pledge of Allegiance with “under God” will get how many pages of study?
ACHD is beyond God’s help.
Feb 22, 2015, 8:31 pm
What a wonderful public service the Guardian provides! I had no idea this area housed an active Rastafarian until I read J. Smith’s comment. I feel so much better now.
Feb 22, 2015, 10:28 pm
Regardless of your thoughts on ACHD prayer, check out the Repub proposal in N. Idaho.
http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/hbo/2015/feb/20/resolved-idaho-christian-state/
Feb 23, 2015, 11:43 am
Lord, we thank thee for thy bounty.
Lord, please bless our sand and magnesium chloride supplies, that they will be adequate for the snowy season.
And please bless our four-way stop signs at rural intersections to be highly-visible and observed by all, so safety will prevail.
And Lord, please bless the shovels of our supervisors, that they will provide a comfortable leaning perch.
And help us so that a mile of our asphalt will stretch 1.05 miles.
And inspire us to know thy will, regarding downtown bike lanes.
Amen.
Feb 23, 2015, 1:58 pm
Correction to Grumpy’s comment: Pastafarian
The comments on the article about N Idaho making Christianity the official religion are hilarious. The reason the politicians do this nonsense is the same reason a magician waves one hand while furtively creating an illusion with the other, it’s all about distraction. Let’s keep everyone arguing over moral issues while the oligarchs servants steal from the serfs.
Feb 23, 2015, 5:19 pm
Actually, the KCRCC is dead serious. No misdirection. In that area of Idaho the local politics have been taken over by a set of white flight emigrants from mostly So. Cal. Thus article provides some perspective.
http://www.hcn.org/issues/45.8/how-right-wing-emigrants-conquered-north-idaho