Sorry, Teacher, there is no separation of ideas. According to the first amendment, Congress shall enact no law respecting any particular religion or limiting the free exercise of religion. Any law passed by Congress that denies an individual the right to pray where ever that person chooses is already an act against the Constitution which is national. That can’t possibly be a state’s rights issue.
Same goes for our belief in the original founding documents. The right to life is the first right mentioned in the Declaration of Independence when it mentions the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Either we believe that as a nation and grant that right to life as a nation to the most helpless of our citizens, babies in the womb or we are liars. This states rights garbage on big issues like this is for those with wishy-washy beliefs who lack courage.
Gay marriage is wrong because govt’s only reason for being involved in marriage at all is for the protection of society’s future (children). Since gays have no part in that, govt. should have no other part in defining marriage. Govt. power should be limited, another tenant of the TEA Party movement.
I never said that ALL issues must be done at the state level. Read the Tenth Amendment. Anything not reserved to the Feds goes to the states. As you note, establishment of religion, or the free exercise thereof, cannot be properly regulated by the Feds. It IS written in the Constitution. the Founders were also aware of homosexuality AND abortion. Since they mentioned neither in the Constitution, and they explicitly wrote the Tenth Amendment, they explicitly reserved this fight to the states. Why are you so afraid of a federal government not having authority over defining religious sacraments?
Same goes for our belief in the original founding documents.
Sorry, no. Our "beliefs" in "funding documents" (outside of those accepted by the several States and the new Congress) have absolutely zero legal bearing.
The right to life is the first right mentioned in the Declaration of Independence when it mentions the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
The Declaration has no legal weight. I understand that you wish to use this easy argument to continue to try to use the overbearing Federal government for your own ends, but you legal argument is beyond new-born-kitten weak.
Either we believe that as a nation and grant that right to life as a nation to the most helpless of our citizens, babies in the womb or we are liars.
Now YOU are telling others what to believe... and hypocrisy has never exactly scared away our politicians. (Further, dichotomies certainly existed at our Founding... like accepting slavery in the "Land of the Free".)
This states rights garbage on big issues like this is for those with wishy-washy beliefs who lack courage.
And blind desire to use the Federal Behemoth as your personal sledgehammer is for those who lack faith in the Founding Documents, and lack faith in your ability at the state level. Perhaps your pridefulness simply won't allow you to give up a chance at forcing hundreds of millions to believe what you believe, rather than just a few.
I, and our Founders, recognize that government is Evil. ("Power corrupts", etc.) However, since it's better than the alternative, it is a necessary Evil. Since it is necessary, they saw the wisdom of limiting that Evil, and keeping it out of most areas of our lives.