A 16-year tradition of a “blessing of the fleet” has been canceled because the Americans United for the Separation of Church and State complained.

This wasn’t the military, though.  It was a grade school.

South Bristol Elementary School eighth-graders will launch their handmade skiffs next month without the traditional “blessing of the fleet” after a letter from…Americans United for Separation of Church and State informed the school that student involvement with the historic maritime ceremony violated the First Amendment.

The US Navy and various small towns conduct “blessings of the fleet” in accordance with centuries of maritime tradition.  Indeed, the US Navy just performed theirs.

Just don’t tell the AU…

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