[MD] Tea Bagging

[Arlo Bensinger]

[Platt]
Note that "separation of church and state" is not in the First Amendment.

[Arlo]
Ah, now its about grammar. Nonethess, the phrase derives from a 
letter Thomas Jefferson had written referencing the First Amendment.

"Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely 
between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his 
faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach 
actions only, & 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 & State."

I assume Thomas Jefferson was familiar enough with the intent of this 
language that if HE says that ""make no law respecting an 
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" 
is to be interpreted as "building a wall of separation between Church 
& State", then I think we can safely say that the First Amendment 
separates church and state.

The group was right to laugh at O'Donnell, but I fear with people 
like this being elected, we will all be crying soon.

And, can you kindly tell me how preventing the state from 
legislating, promoting or enforcing a particular religion is 
"bigoted"? Is this another one of your inane "intolerance of 
intolerance should not be tolerated" statements?