[NorthMountain]

Compelling Roman Catholic priests to violate their vows of confidentiality has NOT always been the law in this country.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

That has been the law of this country since 1791. I suggest that the State must obey the law, and that Americans must insist that it obey the law even with respect to those with whom we disagree.

The alternative, ultimately, is tyranny.

I refer you again to Mussolini, whose ideology parallels yours.

[FredZarguna]

The Federal case law on this is clear and was settled long before Mussolini. The First Amendment is not now, nor has it ever been -- in 1791 or at any time since -- a get-out-of-jail free card for either clerics or practitioners.

The alternative, ultimately, is allowing any nutjob with a collar or a turban to claim that his religion exempts him from the law. It doesn't. It never has. Stop cutting and pasting from the Bill of Rights and learn what it actually means instead.