Excellent article, well worth the read. You write clearly, succinctly, and with a welcome undercurrent of humor. Must have been a fine, fine university you attended ;-}. I look forward to more articles from you. If you have a ping list, please add me to it.
Here's a link to a collection of Jefferson's comments on the subject of separation of church and state.
http://members.tripod.com/~candst/tnppage/qjeffson.htm
Look at the context of Jefferson's comments in his letter to the Danbury Baptists:
Believing that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legislative powers of government reach actions only, and not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their Legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church and State (Letter to the Danbury Baptists, 1802).
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The "wall of separation between Church and State" has been created already by the Constitutional provision that Congress shall "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
Free. Exercise. Thereof.
MERRY CHRISTMAS, Lancey Howard.
Thanks for your kind comments and for the link. This is a subject I am really passionate about. The Constitution truly is the foundation of our nation and our way of life here.
By the way, speaking of "fine universities", coincidentally, guess what showed up in my mailbox today? The biggest, fattest PSU directory yet. It's always fun to look up names of people you once lived with whom you haven't seen in 30 years and see where they are, what they do, etc.
Merry Christmas to you and your family, "Nittany Chick".