Open Letter to Dennis Prager, You Ignorant Schmuck.
Okay, I haven't followed your career, due in large part to my complete and utter disregard for right-wing, fundamentalist religious nutbags of any stripe, be they Muslim, Christian, or in your case, Jewish. Can I say up front that I sincerely hope you get shit-canned from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, you little homophobic, hate-spewing, anti-American, fascist bastard? I guess I can.
To have both the hubris and ignorance to misrepresent our secular nation and its secular Constitution, and to brazenly lie about the very basis for our freedom as Americans (the Age of Enlightenment, not Christianity, dumbass!) is completely unforgiveable.
To attack Ken Ellison as you have, and to basically taint what should be one of the proudest moments of his life, simply because he wants to exercise his right to put his hand on the holy book of his choice for the individual, ceremonial reenactment of his taking his oath of office to serve as a Congressman, shows what a small-minded, hate-loving, shit-shoveling, low-down, sorry excuse for humanity you are.
The only mention of religion in the U.S. Constitution is in Article 6, which stipulates that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”
The framers of our constitution, our founding fathers, left no doubt that the nation being created was a secular one:
“... religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprize.” --James Madison
"A man compounded of law and gospel is able to cheat a whole country with his religion and then destroy them under color of law.” --Benjamin Franklin
"Nothing is more dreaded than the national government meddling in religion." --John Adams
“Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth.” --Thomas Jefferson
You see Dennis, it works like this. I will use short words so you will know what I mean. There is no place in our government for God. But because we, as citizens, have the right to practice any religion, and we have the right to free speech, there is also no right for the government to meddle in the religious practice of an individual citizen. These are, essentially, the two clauses of the first amendment, the establishment clause, and the free exercise clause.
Dealing with the establishment clause, it has been (and is) interpreted thusly:
The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment prohibits the establishment of a national religion by Congress or the preference of one religion over another, or religion over nonreligion.
So Dennis, when you piss and moan about Mr. Ellison's choice of holy book for his individual swearing-in re-enactment, you only advertise your own sadly deficient understanding of our nation's founding principles.
Perhaps you should work on fixing that.
Here's a nice quote from Thomas Jefferson to start you on your way:
"[N]o man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities."
And good luck to you on your journey towards enlightenment.
Disdainfully,
David Lister
To have both the hubris and ignorance to misrepresent our secular nation and its secular Constitution, and to brazenly lie about the very basis for our freedom as Americans (the Age of Enlightenment, not Christianity, dumbass!) is completely unforgiveable.
To attack Ken Ellison as you have, and to basically taint what should be one of the proudest moments of his life, simply because he wants to exercise his right to put his hand on the holy book of his choice for the individual, ceremonial reenactment of his taking his oath of office to serve as a Congressman, shows what a small-minded, hate-loving, shit-shoveling, low-down, sorry excuse for humanity you are.
The only mention of religion in the U.S. Constitution is in Article 6, which stipulates that “no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.”
The framers of our constitution, our founding fathers, left no doubt that the nation being created was a secular one:
“... religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprize.” --James Madison
"A man compounded of law and gospel is able to cheat a whole country with his religion and then destroy them under color of law.” --Benjamin Franklin
"Nothing is more dreaded than the national government meddling in religion." --John Adams
“Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth.” --Thomas Jefferson
You see Dennis, it works like this. I will use short words so you will know what I mean. There is no place in our government for God. But because we, as citizens, have the right to practice any religion, and we have the right to free speech, there is also no right for the government to meddle in the religious practice of an individual citizen. These are, essentially, the two clauses of the first amendment, the establishment clause, and the free exercise clause.
Dealing with the establishment clause, it has been (and is) interpreted thusly:
The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment prohibits the establishment of a national religion by Congress or the preference of one religion over another, or religion over nonreligion.
So Dennis, when you piss and moan about Mr. Ellison's choice of holy book for his individual swearing-in re-enactment, you only advertise your own sadly deficient understanding of our nation's founding principles.
Perhaps you should work on fixing that.
Here's a nice quote from Thomas Jefferson to start you on your way:
"[N]o man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities."
And good luck to you on your journey towards enlightenment.
Disdainfully,
David Lister
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