Silence is no harm to the Shermans

I just read the article about Dawn Sherman's lawsuit against the school district because they are going to allow for a "moment of silence." Of course, this is filed by her father because she's underage. Possibly, since he is an atheist this is his idea? He has every right to be an atheist, and everyone else has the right to believe or not believe in what they want.

It's also a free country. When did a moment of silence become such an issue? This lawsuit has no merit. The students can take a nap, read a book, play on their iPod, and yes, if some wish, they can thank God for a beautiful day, the opportunity to learn, and for the rights of the atheists along with all the other people.

I've sat through many moments of silence; most of them don't last any longer than about 15 seconds anyway, so really: Why the big commotion? The one thing that I can see ... Mr. Sherman says this is called Silent Reflection and Student Prayer Act. Perhaps this could be changed to just Moment of Silence. You can "reflect" on anything, so silent reflection doesn't mean squat in relation to any religious act.

At the very end of this article, Dawn said if the injunction doesn't go through, she would just sit at her desk and study for that moment ! Well, duh; didn't Dawn know she was free to do just that from the very start?

Linda Kimsey

Streamwood