The View might be broadcasting from a resort in the Bahamas, but it doesn’t seem to be doing anything to improve their state of mind. Thus was the case on Tuesday as the cast was again up in arms over yet another U.S. Supreme Court ruling; this one validated the right to religious liberty and expression under the Constitution. Together they demanded prayer be kept private and suggested that animal sacrifices were going to become commonplace on the football field in certain communities.
“Now, Supreme Court conservatives were at it again yesterday, ruling that a Washington State school district discriminated against a public school football coach Joseph Kennedy by suspending him for postgame prayers on the 50-yard line,” griped Whoopi Goldberg.
Following a brief soundbite of Kennedy saying “nobody should be forced to pray” and “everybody should, you know, enjoy you are their freedoms as Americans and that's what the First Amendment provides,” Goldberg scoffed, with a flippant, “yeah, okay.”
“But a lot of Americans kind of disagree with that interpretation of the First Amendment and say the decision basically erases the line between church and state,” she added, but never explained what part of Kennedy’s “interpretation” “a lot” of people supposedly didn’t agree with.
Joy Behar was the first to give her two cents with an asinine argument about how Colin Kaepernick should just say he was praying when he took a knee. She also falsely claimed he was “thrown off the team.” But back in reality, Kaepernick was very public about why he was kneeling and he had opted out of his contract.
“Suddenly it's illegal for him but it's okay for this group because the Supreme Court wants a theocracy right now, they don't know the difference between church and state anymore in this country,” she ignorantly proclaimed.
Seemingly in a completion to have the most outrageous and ignorant take, Sara Haines made a commendable play by demonstrating just how little she understood about prayer and the religious.
She decried Kennedy’s prayer as “performative” and huffed that “prayer is usually private.” This betrayed her deep lack of understanding because people pray collectively at their religious services, at funerals, etc. There are prayers that are delivered on the floors of Congress and at the start of every NASCAR race. Presidents from both sides of the aisle have attended the National Prayer Breakfast.
“To me, the problem is you're on the center field, it was not brief and it was audible. He would pray outwardly,” she whined. And without evidence, she suggested Kennedy was coercing his young players to pray with him. “It is not lost on anyone when someone in authority is doing something and saying ‘come one and all’ that you wouldn’t feel a pressure from a public school employee,” she said.
But the winner winner chicken dinner for the most ridiculous argument against the ruling was faux Republican Ana Navarro, who suggested there will be animal scarifies (particularly chickens) coming to high school football games in South Florida. And she got back up from Sunny Hostin:
NAVARRO: I live in Miami, in Miami, there are a lot of people who practice Santeria. Santeria includes, as a religious performance, a religious ritual, killing animals. Okay? … Are you okay if a Santero pulls out a chicken in the middle of the field? Ask yourselves those questions.
HOSTIN: The Supreme Court says it's okay.
NAVARRO: Freedom of religion is freedom for anyone in any recognized religion.
HOSTIN: The Supreme Court now says it’s okay. If the Santero coach wants to break out the chicken and go to the 50-yard line, the Santero coach can now do that.
A common theme throughout the segment was this projected bigotry that those who were celebrating the ruling would be opposed to people of other religions praying in public. “So ask yourself, are you okay if a Jewish person pulls out a prayer shawl and goes to the middle of the field? Are you okay if a Muslim person pulls out a prayer rug?” Navarro demanded.
The View is demanding that prayer and religious observance be kept private and personal. But they’d likely rail against say a private bakery whose owner refuses to bake a cake for a gay wedding.
This anti-prayer bias was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Ensure and Purina. Their contact information is linked.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
ABC’s The View
June 28, 2022
11:03:03 a.m. EasternWHOOPI GOLDBERG: Now, Supreme Court conservatives were at it again yesterday, ruling that a Washington State school district discriminated against a public school football coach Joseph Kennedy by suspending him for postgame prayers on the 50-yard line. So, here's what coach Kennedy said about his victory. Take a look.
[Cuts to video]
JOSEPH KENNEDY: This is a huge win for all Americans, it's not one that I think would be, you know, in contention with anybody. Nobody should be forced to pray. Nobody should have to hide their prayers. Everybody should, you know, enjoy you are their freedoms as Americans. And that's what the First Amendment provides, that’s why it's the first one.
[Cuts back to live]
GOLDBERG: Yeah, okay. But a lot of Americans kind of disagree with that interpretation of the First Amendment and say the decision basically erases the line between church and state.
And really, you know, we had some questions earlier, would the same be given if it was a Muslim coach, would he have the same rights? Would we be questioning it? What about a wiccan? What id wiccans decided pray? Does this apply really to everyone? What is the impact of this?
JOY BEHAR: I'd like to know if it would apply to Collin Kaepernick, for example. He takes a knee, I don't know if this really legal, or anything that I’m saying. But it seemed to me like the guy takes a knee and he gets thrown off the team. But he could be praying too, praying that these people would leave him alone. I don’t know what he’s praying for but he could be praying.
What do they know what you’re doing when you take a know what you’re doing when you take a knee? Doesn’t that look like prayer to you?
Suddenly it's illegal for him but it's okay for this group because the Supreme Court wants a theocracy right now, they don't know the difference between church and state anymore in this country.
SUNNY HOSTIN: Colin was, of course, protesting the social inequity and police brutality against black people.
BEHAR: Well, he could say he was praying for justice.
HOSTIN: Which was still exists. He wasn’t thrown off the team but he certainly was blackballed from the league for exercising his right to speech and his right of protest.
(…)
I'm very concerned about the way this court is leaning because now there's no separation between church and state, if you can -- because what if -- Sara and I were talking about this earlier, let's say that you are an atheist but you're on that team, let’s say that you're Muslim and you’re on that team, and this coach is praying to his version of God. Right? Let's say he's praying to Jesus, don't you feel that you will at least pretend to pray to his god to curry favor?
GOLDBERG: Well, this is the problem. This is the problem, if everyone gets to pray to their own god, that's something, but that's discussion that you have and make sure everybody's calm with it.
Listen, if you believe in God and you want to praise God and talk to God, that is your business. I have no problem. But I don't know if this adult has made it as easy for the kids on the team who may not feel like that.
[Crosstalk]
SARA HAINES: Through appeals court all the way up and people did not agree. They said – a federal appeals court called coach Kennedy’s characterization of his prayers, which he described as brief, quiet, and solitary, as a deceitful narrative.
Now, just to be clear, his coach was praying at the end of the game on the “battlefield” that's how he captured it, in the 50-yard line --
BEHAR: But it was on public property.
HAINES: No, I’m not defending it. What I'm saying is my problem with it feels performative. Prayer is usually private. And when you pray, if this were a Muslim, he would – he/she would be privately praying. To me, the problem is you're on the center field, it was not brief and it was audible. He would pray outwardly.
If you're the leader of the team and I was an athlete, I would feel – and this is what Sunny and I were discussing – you're looking for game time, playing time, you're looking to be favored, some people are competing to be the captain of the team. It is not lost on anyone when someone in authority is doing something and saying “come one and all” that you wouldn’t feel a pressure from a public school employee.
ANA NAVARRO: I'm not an athlete --
BEHAR: You're not?
NAVARRO: Shocking, I know.
BEHAR: That is shocking.
NAVARRO: I'm a Catholic, but I'm also an American, which means I fully understand the meaning and significance of the establishment clause. We were established as a nation where separation of church and state is a bastion of our founding.
So, I have a few problems with this. The one problem is, the power dynamic. What you were just speaking about. Another problem is, the separation of church and state. That is being done on state property, on public property, and then, we really have to ask ourselves, are you ready to do this for every religion. As you just said.
Whoopi, I live in Miami, in Miami there are a lot of people who practice Santeria. Santeria includes, as a religious performance, a religious ritual, killing animals. Okay?
So, are you okay -- so ask yourself, are you okay if a Jewish person pulls out a prayer shawl and goes to the middle of the field? Are you okay if a Muslim person pulls out a prayer rug? Are you okay if a Santero pulls out a chicken in the middle of the field? Ask yourselves those questions.
HOSTIN: The Supreme Court says it's okay.
NAVARRO: Freedom of religion is freedom for anyone in any recognized religion.
HOSTIN: The Supreme Court now says it’s okay. If the Santero coach wants to break out the chicken and go to the 50-yard line, the Santero coach can now do that.
[Crosstalk]
GOLDBERG: But here's the question that I still have, I said -- the question for me remains, is everyone on the team down with that? And they were not.
HOSTIN: They were not.
GOLDBERG: Everyone on the team was not down with that. Which means, no discussion was had as to whether you're comfortable praying like this. This is a discussion you have to have and it's an adult putting his beliefs on these kids.
(…)
