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The father is extremely important in the life of a child and I would be 100% for this type of programming,

I agree.

especially in inner-city schools.

Private schools in the inner city perhaps.

I hope it works.

It will not work better than it already does (or doesn't) by government force being added to the equation.

Government involvement in religious and civil society is counterproductive and potentially harmful to the organizations it seeks to help.

"Good intentions will always be pleaded for every assumption of authority. It is hardly too strong to say that the Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to govern. They promise to be good masters, but they mean to be masters." --Daniel Webster (1782-1852)

Thanks for your posts, Marysecretary. I think some people on this thread never read the article, and have lost sight of the origins of this program, and the actual nature of the current ACLU controversy.

To help people get back on track, here's an excerpt from the article:

The All Pro Dad curriculum was created by Family First, a Tampa-based nonprofit "research and educational organization," according to founder and President Mark Merrill. It is being promoted throughout the nation, in part with the help of fast-food chain Chick-fil-A, whose founder, S. Truett Cathy, is a Southern Baptist. Merrill was tapped by Bush, a Catholic, to serve on Volunteer Florida's 25-member board.

Mulrennan Middle School in Valrico, east of Tampa, promotes All Pro Dad on its school marquee and in newsletters. The school also advertises the program on its radio and television stations, said assistant principal Matthew Diprima, who organizes the monthly meetings.

"This is something the school supports, and this is something that's fostered by the school," Diprima said.

He said the Mulrennan group meets at a neighborhood Chick-fil-A, which donates materials to the children who participate. The group uses the All Pro Dad Web site to choose topics for discussion.

Included on the Web site are tips for fathers, including "Ten Ways to be a Better Dad" and "How to Save Your Marriage."

OK. So this is a NON-government funded program. It's created by a PRIVATE BUSINESS FOUNDER and a NON-PROFIT group. By Gov Bush supporting and promoting this program, he is encouraging one of his ever popular "private/public partnerships" here. That means NO government money, but if the people who can benefit from it can be reached somehow through the public sector, then, Gov Bush will promote it.

The ACLU gets all uptight because the program's principles involve principles found in the New and Old Testaments of the Bible.

But, here is an honest question I have: Do you realize how many "FOR-PROFIT" or "NON-PROFIT" goods, services and organizations already have access to the public school population via the public schools? The pie is already pretty well sliced. So, what is the big deal, truly, about this program, that might have as its aim the increased participation of fathers in kids' lives? I only wish that half the other programs currently touted in schools had such a noble aim.