Alabama Gov. Fob James apologized for using profanity to describe the state’s new “moment of silence” law. James signed the law, which requires public school teachers to start each day with a minute of quiet reflection, but belittled it because it was not the school prayer bill he had sought. In a conversation with the bill’s sponsor that was taped by a local television station, James said the law “ain’t worth the damn paper it’s written on.” He added, “You ain’t going to require s— until you get some relief from the U.S. Congress.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.