From: "Richard Hong" 

>> Does this represent a change of heart, or have you simply argued the
other side in the past

Steve,

I never argued the other side; however, I do not always share the view of
certain groups as to what constitutes state sponsorship of a prayer.  I
have always argued against state-sponsored prayer, while at the same time I
argue that a state employee retains the right of free religious expression
even while on the state payroll.  I believe that you can be a state
employee yet not be acting as an agent of the state in a particular
activity.

So what you may be remembering as arguing the other side was probably, for
me, a matter of subtle distinction in interpreting what constitutes
personal religious expression for a state employee during a state event
versus state sponsorship of a prayer.  For me, it can turn on something as
subtle as whether the speaker was introduced for the purpose of offering a
prayer, or whether the prayer came in the context of a speech labeled
"personal remarks."

Rich

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