"The Establishment Clause prohibits government from making adherence to a religion relevant in any way to a person's standing in the political community."- Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor was the first woman to be appointed to the United States Supreme Court by President Regan in 1981 as the successor to Potter Stewart. She served on the Supreme Court for nearly 27 years and retired after her successor, Samuel Alito was confirmed in January 2006. Considered to be the leading centrist on the court during her tenure, she very often was the swing vote in many decisions. This distinguishing characteristic made her one of the most powerful women in America. On August 12, 2009, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama. This is the highest civilian honor in the United States.
I picked the above quote as it resonated with me as to how views on religious beliefs are causing further division in the United States today. As Justice O'Connor stated, the practicing of religion, be it Christianity, Judaism, Muslim, Buddhism, etc., is to be of no relevance to a person's standing in the political community. Simply stated, it doesn't matter where President Obama and his family go to church, if they go to church, or to what higher being they draw their strength from. The sooner the people in this country who are obsessed with speculation that the President is really "not" a Christian and focus on the things that will help this country restore its economy, the better off everyone will be. Judge the President and his administration on what he has done and ask yourself if your state's congressional leaders have acted in a way that serves the best interest of everyone in this nation. DON'T take this at face value based on what pundits say or the campaign speeches that are being given. Look at their voting record! In the end, that's what counts is how they voted.
Here are the links to see the voting record of every member of the Senate and the House.
How did your elected member of the House of Representatives?
How did your elected Senators vote?
Religion is just another "tool" the GOP is using to fuel the fires of fear in the hearts of Americans. It is a fear that is propelling this country to a level of intolerance that will do nothing to further our nation's standing in the world. It must STOP!
ReplyDeleteBJHughes
Thanks once again for your support Bill. I do hope that despite the frustration of feeling like we preach to the choir that one person may finally get that spark of inspiration to join in and take an active role in getting things back on track in this country. "All it takes is one voice"
ReplyDeleteI feel the need to watch the video again. Believe it or not, that video has gotten more hits on my site than anything other than my Kiss conspiracy satire piece. Who would've thought?!