[INVAR]

Excellent! Thank you!

When you read the plain words of the Constitution and take Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptists in proper context - it becomes clear that Jefferson understood the entire meaning and intent of the 1st Amendment : 'Congress shall make NO LAW respecting an establishment of religion...." due to the precise fact that ONLY Congress and the legislature have the power to MAKE LAW.

This is because the legislatures are BEHOLDEN to you and I, The People. If they vote outside of the values of their constituencies, they can be voted out and new representatives can be installed to safeguard our liberties.

It is why Adams said: ""Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other"

The Judiciary has no such accountability to We the People. They were to rule upon matters of WRITTEN LAW passed by the legislatures, not to MAKE LAW by "intepreting" what they think it should or want it to mean.

But Judicial Activism is now considered law, mainly due to the fact that most of us are ignorant of what the plain words written on parchement actually say - let alone what they mean.

Like everything else - We the People have left the running of this nation to the "professionals", and have not heeded our Founder's warnings about the nature of power and government.

[almcbean]

Also keep in mind that Jefferson was not involved in writing the Constitution or the 1st Amendment. He was ambassador to France and living over there. To use his words, especially when penned over 10 years after, to interpret the Constitution is ludicrous.