Excerpt:
Comments that state Sen. Dave Lawson, R-Marydel, made about Islam on the floor of the chamber Wednesday led to a rare rebuke from the chamber's chief member and sparked a brief but fierce discussion about religious freedom.
"We just heard from the Quran, which calls for our very demise," Lawson said after a Muslim duo gave the invocation, including a passage from their holy text. "I fought for this country, not to be damned by someone that comes in here and prays to their God for our demise. I think that's despicable."
Lawson served in the Air Force and did a tour in Vietnam. He addressed his colleagues on the floor of the Senate.