Does a high-school marching band that plays “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” violate the separation of church and state? Here in Prince William County, Va., a few people think it does, because my local high school has quit playing it, apparently in the aftermath of a single letter of complaint. The band was preparing to play the number at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

BTW, one of the best renditions I’ve ever heard of the song was at the Republican convention in 2000, when Blues Traveler performed it, replacing the fiddle with a harmonica, at a GOP fundraiser. The band has a free mp3 of the song on its website — song #11. Go here to download legally.