The Illinois House today joined the Senate and overrode Gov. Rod Blagojevich's veto of the mandated moment of silence at the start of the school day.

Students from kindergarten through high school will be allowed to silently pray in whatever faith they practice or simply sit and reflect quietly. Illinois teachers and students have had the option of doing so since 2002, but it wasn't mandated.

The Illinois House voted to override Gov. Rod Blagojevich's late August veto of the silent-moment measure. The governor cited concerns about the separation of church and state.

This is ridiculous. Let the kids pray at home if it's so important to their parents. Prayer does not belong in our schools. These bills are succeeding, even in the courts, because of the "forced silence" alternative. They're not fooling anyone though, they are prayer bills designed to instill religion.

Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie), who is often at odds with the governor, said he supported Blagojevich's veto because the legislation is really about prayer in schools. "Why we must mandate this is way beyond me," Lang said. "It's wrong from so many points of view."