Money used for Borden case could have been put to better use
On Oct. 3, the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals weighed the case of Marcus Borden vs. the East Brunswick School District.

Before the decision comes out, the citizens of East Brunswick have already lost. For me, this is about money that could be put to much better use. First and foremost, we have allowed an issue that should have been handled on the local level to become dominated by two sides that have no middle ground. Fighting for the East Brunswick Board of Education is Americans United for Separation of Church and State. Joining the brief on Mr. Borden's side is the Rutherford Institute, with John W. Whitehead, a Christian conservative, as its president and founder.

The handling of this matter will cost the taxpayers of East Brunswick more than $250,000 if Mr. Borden prevails. As a resident of East Brunswick for many years, I have always seen it as a place that welcomes religion. The evidence is the diverse places of worship that we have in this town; everybody has always been welcomed. We are now letting outsiders dictate to us whether a football coach can continue a practice that has been going on in this school for more than 25 years.

Evaluate the two sides representing the school board and Mr. Borden. On the Americans United for the Separation of Church and State Web site, there are many references to the fight against the religious right. The Rutherford Institute is led by John W. Whitehead, a man who pushes a religious right agenda. He strongly opposes atheists and many others who wish to remove all traces of religion in our government agencies and organizations. Being a longtime member of the community I have not noticed either a strong organization of the religious right or atheists. This fight is between two ideologies, both of which don't represent the people of East Brunswick, the school board and possibly Mr. Borden himself.

How did the school board get us into this mess? If the citizens of East Brunswick lose this appeal, it will cost us more than $250,000. This money is enough to pay for the education of at least 18 students in this town for the year. Or maybe it will cover the payto play club and sports fees that the board instituted last year. It was well documented that Mr. Borden's attorney offered to settle this suit. Unfortunately, the board declined, potentially leaving the taxpayers to foot the bill.

If the school board wins, what do the taxpayers of East Brunswick get? They can sleep at night knowing that their football coach and all the other coaches will not be bowing a head or taking a knee during a student-initiated prayer. The reader of this might say, "That is not the issue; the issue is separation of church and state." I say we should have left this fight for someone else's pocketbook.

This process was set in motion by a small handful of parents who threatened a lawsuit. I think the school board should have called their bluff, and if the parents felt strongly about their position they could have put their money where their mouth is and sued the district. Instead, it's possible that we will all pay the bill for a tradition that has been going on for at least 25 years.

Douglas Schorpp

East Brunswick