(SOURCE: Washington Times)
Alabama Gov. Fob James apologized for using profanity to describe the state's new "moment of silence" law, which Mr. James signed but belittled for not allowing vocal prayer in public schools. Mr. James said that he thought his conversation with state Rep. Perry Hooper Jr. was private and that he was just expressing his frustration over court rulings limiting the role of religion in public schools, the Associated Press reports.
Mr. James made the comments Monday after signing the law, which was sponsored by Mr. Hooper, a Montgomery Republican. It requires public-school teachers to start each school day with a minute of quiet reflection, during which Mr. Hooper hopes students will pray.
"You realize that ain't worth the damn paper it's written on, I guess," Mr. James said to Mr. Hooper in a conversation taped by Montgomery television station WSFA.
"We're going to require the teachers ..." Mr. Hooper began to reply.
"You ain't going to require s---until you get some relief from the U.S. Congress," Mr. James shot back. "Y'all are just going through the motions, and I'm going along with you. That's the bad part of it." Mr. James had never belittled the moment-of-silence law in his public comments.
Mr. James' microphone was connected to television cameras at the time, though his words weren't carried by the speakers at the bill-signing ceremony.