tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384511685152656450.post4581268392139927243..comments2023-09-11T07:03:17.910-05:00Comments on The Serenity of Reason: Where Are The Statesmen Today?csmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14196500927690180464noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384511685152656450.post-46080792526575230112010-09-07T17:03:08.093-05:002010-09-07T17:03:08.093-05:00The "wall of separation" crowd would inc...The "wall of separation" crowd would include Thomas Jefferson, the son of a bitch that coined the phrase. Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptist Association clearly and succinctly shows "the original intent" of at least one of the founders - evidently he also thought the Constitution should be re-written every 20 years or so (if we were to do that right now, that would scare the living shit outta me).csmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14196500927690180464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384511685152656450.post-28526866570155106332010-09-07T15:54:06.159-05:002010-09-07T15:54:06.159-05:00Of course not. I think it was a big issue in some ...Of course not. I think it was a big issue in some war back in the 19th Century.<br /><br />I wasn't arguing that we should have church services in the Capitol building. My point is that by the actions of the founding fathers, it's clear that their view of the Establishment Clause wasn't anything like the position taken today by the "wall of separation" crowd.<br /><br />In order to correctly understand and apply the Constitution, we need to understand the original intent of those who wrote and ratified it.Gnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384511685152656450.post-86891892142976023302010-09-07T15:00:11.326-05:002010-09-07T15:00:11.326-05:00It was also a much different time back then than w...It was also a much different time back then than we have now. We grow and update; modify and move on. Would anyone realistically argue that because Jefferson was a slave owner that we should legalize slavery today?csmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14196500927690180464noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384511685152656450.post-61168920401202300382010-09-05T13:13:44.145-05:002010-09-05T13:13:44.145-05:00I would imagine that a person could cherry-pick qu...I would imagine that a person could cherry-pick quotes from the founding fathers of this nation to make a case for whatever position they're trying to make at the moment. But the simple truth is that these men weren't two-dimensional caricatures that can be defined by 10-second sound bites.<br /><br />To determine what they believed and intended with our Constitution, it's better to look at the way they conducted their lives as government officials. If we look at them from that perspective, it is quite clear that their idea of "separation of church and state" wasn't anything like the "freedom FROM religion" that so many are seeking today (e.g. Thomas Jefferson, as President, attending church services in the Capitol building).<br /><br />They wanted to keep the govt out of church affairs and keep churches from directing the govt. But to them, that didn't mean removing all religious references from all official govt places and people. They took the "free exercise" clause VERY seriously.<br /><br />If one were to inject "statesmen" from the founding of this nation into the public square today, I imagine that the talking heads from both left and right would be throwing hissy fits.Gnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384511685152656450.post-64952286482196542792010-09-04T23:11:55.716-05:002010-09-04T23:11:55.716-05:00Everybody is wrong sometimes, even you George.
Th...Everybody is wrong sometimes, even you George.<br /><br />There are plenty of people I admire, but I would be dishonest with myself and to everybody else if I said I agreed with them 100% of the time. Anybody who does agree with any ideology or personality 100% of the time is nothing but a vessel or dangerous.<br /><br />verification word: siderBAWDYSCOThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07003013789708853085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384511685152656450.post-59281276704737136002010-09-04T22:24:17.262-05:002010-09-04T22:24:17.262-05:00Its always ironic how individuals like to quote th...Its always ironic how individuals like to quote the Constitution and the founders until they are given quotes they don't like. Suddenly, the founders are wrong and their opinion of course is the right one.<br /><br />With that mentality, Barrack has taken a dump on the Constitution and has done what is right in his own eyes. I'm sure he believes he knows what is best.G Wahingtonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384511685152656450.post-1047860334786931192010-09-03T16:29:58.848-05:002010-09-03T16:29:58.848-05:00Not everybody is right all the time, not even Jame...Not everybody is right all the time, not even James Madison.BAWDYSCOThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07003013789708853085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384511685152656450.post-80411692044463187962010-09-03T14:15:33.747-05:002010-09-03T14:15:33.747-05:00"Cursed be all that learning that is contrary..."Cursed be all that learning that is contrary to the cross of Christ."James Madisonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384511685152656450.post-12086039252807943482010-09-03T13:19:43.545-05:002010-09-03T13:19:43.545-05:00Does that include Muslims?
How instructive that M...Does that include Muslims?<br /><br />How instructive that Madison put morality BEFORE religiosity.<br /><br />verification: dupwood(pronounced "dupewood")BAWDYSCOThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07003013789708853085noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384511685152656450.post-19289910820282958722010-09-03T11:54:27.898-05:002010-09-03T11:54:27.898-05:00"Our Constitution was made only for a moral a..."Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."James Madisonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6384511685152656450.post-45359081917942474762010-09-03T10:44:04.531-05:002010-09-03T10:44:04.531-05:00From my very first post on "Freethinkers"...From my very first post on "Freethinkers"(my first post anywhere), this has been my mantra... We don't need Democrats, we don't need Republicans, we need statesmen. And we need them more now than ever.<br /><br />And by statesmen, I mean people who put the country before their Party, before their religion, before their state(this is the federal government, of course) and even before their clans. Though I don't do much religion bashing on this site(mainly because I don't bash religion in my private life), I have asked before about loyalties in regards to the devout and invariably the answer is that God comes first, which in my heart seems detrimental to our political society. It is one thing to use religion as guidance and as a moral compass, but in dealing with all American issues and all Americans backgrounds of the citizenry. religious affiliation should take a back seat to the Constitution, the supreme law of the land. Many Christians don't see it that way and this puts the faction over the individual, which is anathema to the original intent of the Founding.BAWDYSCOThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07003013789708853085noreply@blogger.com