Because the current batch of liberals who have infested the White House and the Senate and who seem to have the majority in the Supreme Court, and because these statists insist that we maintain the fairy tale of separation of Church and State, I will expect the following:
The Supreme Court, its clerks, staff, security, and attendants will be on duty as usual during the week of December 24-28. Those who declare their belief in Jesus Christ publicly and in writing, and take the days off to celebrate their religion will not be intimidated, disciplined, or maligned in any way, but must take the days off without pay.
The White House, the President, the Cabinet, all of the advisors, czars, employees, Secret Service attendants, secretaries, and staff will be at their posts as usual during the week of December 24-28. Those who declare their belief in Jesus Christ publicly and in writing, and take the days off to celebrate their religion will not be intimidated, disciplined, or maligned in any way, but must take the days off without pay, and the offices must be open and staffed.
The Congress, clerks, staff, Capital Security, and all employees will be taking care of the people's business as usual, i.e. actually working instead of posturing during the week of December 24-28. Those who declare their belief in Jesus Christ publicly and in writing, and take the days off to celebrate their religion will not be intimidated, disciplined, or maligned in any way, but must take the days off without pay, and the offices must remain open and properly staffed.
The bureaus, departments, commissions, administrations, enforcement agencies, and any other government employees will be at their posts and offices open for business during the week of December 24-28. Those who declare their belief in Jesus Christ publicly and in writing, and take the days off to celebrate their religion will not be intimidated, disciplined, or maligned in any way, but must take the days off without pay, and the offices must remain open and properly staffed.
All state agencies, offices, bureaus, administrations, commissions, their staffs and employees will be at their posts and offices will be staffed as usual and open for business during the week of December 24-28. Those who declare their belief in Jesus Christ publicly and in writing, and take the days off to celebrate their religion will not be intimidated, disciplined, or maligned in any way, but must take the days off without pay, and the offices must remain open and properly staffed.
All city agencies, offices, bureaus, administrations, commissions, their respective staffs and employees will be at their posts and offices staffed as usual and open for business during the week of December 24-28. Those who declare their belief in Jesus Christ publicly and in writing, and take the days off to celebrate their religion will not be intimidated, disciplined, or maligned in any way, but must take the days off without pay, and the offices must remain open and properly staffed.
All state sponsored Schools, Colleges, Universities, training programs, etc will be open for business and their employees, administrators, managers, and teachers will be at their posts whether or not students attend. Students and staff who wish to be away from school practicing their religious beliefs will not be intimidated, disciplined, or maligned in any way, but the schools will be open and fully staffed.
All of this so that the leftist zealots cannot say that there is a bias for a certain religion. I don't want any of them to benefit from the Christian beliefs that are so dear to the rest of us.
That seems fair to me.
Separation of church and state is a bedrock principle of our Constitution much like the principles of separation of powers and checks and balances. In the Constitution, the founders did not simply say in so many words that there should be separation of powers and checks and balances; rather, they actually separated the powers of government among three branches and established checks and balances. Similarly, they did not merely say there should be separation of church and state; rather, they actually separated them by (1) establishing a secular government on the power of "We the people" (not a deity), (2) saying nothing to connect that government to god(s) or religion, (3) saying nothing to give that government power over matters of god(s) or religion, and (4), indeed, saying nothing substantive about god(s) or religion at all except in a provision precluding any religious test for public office. Given the norms of the day, the founders' avoidance of any expression in the Constitution suggesting that the government is somehow based on any religious belief was quite a remarkable and plainly intentional choice. They later buttressed this separation of government and religion with the First Amendment, which constrains the government from undertaking to establish religion or prohibit individuals from freely exercising their religions.
ReplyDeleteThat the phrase "separation of church and state" does not appear in the text of the Constitution assumes much importance, it seems, to some who may have once labored under the misimpression it was there and, upon learning they were mistaken, reckon they’ve discovered a smoking gun solving a Constitutional mystery. To those familiar with the Constitution, the absence of the metaphor commonly used to name one of its principles is no more consequential than the absence of other phrases (e.g., Bill of Rights, separation of powers, checks and balances) used to describe other undoubted Constitutional principles.
To the extent that some nonetheless would like confirmation--in those very words--of the founders' intent to separate government and religion, Madison and Jefferson supplied it. Madison, who had a central role in drafting the Constitution and the First Amendment, confirmed that he understood them to “[s]trongly guard[] . . . the separation between Religion and Government.” Madison, Detached Memoranda (~1820). He made plain, too, that they guarded against more than just laws creating state sponsored churches or imposing a state religion. Mindful that even as new principles are proclaimed, old habits die hard and citizens and politicians could tend to entangle government and religion (e.g., “the appointment of chaplains to the two houses of Congress” and “for the army and navy” and “[r]eligious proclamations by the Executive recommending thanksgivings and fasts”), he considered the question whether these actions were “consistent with the Constitution, and with the pure principle of religious freedom” and responded: “In strictness the answer on both points must be in the negative. The Constitution of the United States forbids everything like an establishment of a national religion.”
The Constitution, including particularly the First Amendment, embodies the simple, just idea that each of us should be free to exercise his or her religious views without expecting that the government will endorse or promote those views and without fearing that the government will endorse or promote the religious views of others. By keeping government and religion separate, the establishment clause serves to protect the freedom of all to exercise their religion. Reasonable people may differ, of course, on how these principles should be applied in particular situations, but the principles are hardly to be doubted. Moreover, they are good, sound principles that should be nurtured and defended, not attacked. Efforts to undercut our secular government by somehow merging or infusing it with religion should be resisted by every patriot.