Jonathan Saenz - Texas Values Joins Houston's Morning News

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Pretty simple, right six twenty three here on Houston's Wanting
News the Ten Commandments. They're on display in Conroe, despite
the fact that we have some jurisdictions that have been
impacted by a judge who has blocked the state law
that'll end up working its way through the court system.
Jonathan Seines joins US at Texas Values. I always get

(00:24):
frustrated by the argument over the church and state that
somehow that there's something in the Ten Commandments that endorses
a particular religion. There's no particular religion endorsed in the
Ten Commandments, is there?

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Well, look, I mean there's not. I mean it's in
the Ten Commandments. Being displayed is about the historical significance
and relevance that the Ten Commandments have had on American law, policy, government,
and culture. And it's not just me saying that the
US Supreme Court has already said that there's a depiction
of the Ten Commandments on the US Supreme Court building.

(00:59):
So if the US Supreme Court is okay with having
that on their building, I think it's fair to say
they're going to be okay with that being a part
of public school classrooms. And you're right, I mean the
Ten Commandments relate to Judaism and also Christianity and a
lot of other non Christian faiths have acknowledged the significance
though of the Ten Commandments, and many scholars have acknowledged

(01:22):
the impact that it's had on our law and policy.
And that's the reason for Senate built in which actually
went into effect yesterday. Today's the first public school day
since yesterday. And you mentioned the court ruling. This law
went into effects September first, but there was a court
ruling and I was in the court room for this
hearing in San Antonio. It only impacts eleven out of

(01:43):
twelve hundred school districts across the state of Texas. Now
that does include Houston ISD and also sci Fair, but
every other school district in your listening audience, which is
an overwhelming majority of them, have to follow the state law.
It's not optional, it's not well if we feel like it.
The law makes it clear that the Ten Commandments posters

(02:04):
have to be hung up. Now, the school districts don't
have to purchase them. They can if they want, but
they're not required to be the ones that purchase them.
And so that's why a lot of volunteers and people
are donating thousands of posters across the state of Texas,
including Conrays D. We actually donated the posters for Conrad ISD.
But you can go to ten Commandments Texas dot com.
That website tells you how to find out what your

(02:26):
school district is doing, have the posters to them, how
to order them. They're only a dollar each. So they
are close to three hundred thousand public school classrooms across
the state of Texas. So that's a lot of posters.
But we've been working on this for months and so
I want to make sure everybody's clear in the listening
audience there. If you're not in sci Fair or Houston ISD.
Your school district is required to have these posters hanging up,

(02:48):
and if they're not, please let us know.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
Now the judge ruled for those eleven You mentioned eleven
districts that the judge ruled on. How did those districts
get picked? Were these the ones that we're bringing the
suit against this?

Speaker 2 (03:00):
Well, the school districts are not bringing the lawsuit. The
lawsuit is brought by New York lawyers from the acou
and some families that they recruited in certain parts of
the State of Texas. So the school districts are actually
being defended by the Attorney General's Office of the State
of Texas. And so if they were not named in
that lawsuit, those particular school districts like CONRASD and the

(03:22):
Attorney General has made that clear compacts and put out
a letter making it clear that if you're not in
those eleven school districts, and it's like Alamo Heights in
the San Antonio area, Lake Travis, Austin ISD, Houston is
D SCI fair I mentioned earlier in Northside a few others,
that you're required to follow that law. And look, it's
about reminding kids of the historical connection and relevance. And

(03:45):
they're not required to read the Ten Commandments. They're not
even required to see them or acknowledge them. Now it
is required to be displayed in the public school classroom
as a part of our historical connection to the Ten
Commandments in American law and policy and government. So there's
and look, students are already it's already part of our
teaching and classrooms. And like I said earlier, Supreme Court

(04:05):
has already said in numerous cases that these types of displays,
they don't force kids to believe anything. It's just an
acknowledgment of our history.

Speaker 1 (04:12):
Well, not to mention the fact that most of these
are displayed in law in our nation's courtrooms. You know
most of the Ten You break most of the Ten Commandments,
and you will be punished because it's against the law.
So you know, again, it's a llegal and it's not
only a legal lesson, it's a moral lesson as well. Well.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
It may make its way up to the U. S.
Pren Court, But three years ago the Supreme Court said,
we're going back to a standard of religious liberty, particularly
for these public school settings, because the government should not
be hostile to religion. And that means if there is
this historical document like the Ten Commandments that has a
part of connection to American law, policy, government, and culture,
we shouldn't erase it. We shouldn't tear it down just

(04:53):
because it might also have some religious connection. And that's
the situation here. We're going to follow and support this
thing all the way through the courts. But again, if
you want to help all these other school districts throughout
the state of Texas, including some of the Houston Greater
Houston area, go to ten Commandments Texas dot com to
find out about the law and how to order and
donate the posters.

Speaker 1 (05:11):
Very well, sir, thank you. Jonathan signs Texas Values