The Door Swings Both Ways, Sarah

Posted on 04/20/2010 at 9:13 am by Bob Cesca

The framers of the Constitution knew that if you allow organized religion to interfere with secular law, secular law can interfere in organized religion.

But Palin and others believe that the door only swings one way. And they’re idiots for it.

Meanwhile, I give you James Madison, responsible for assembling the Constitution:

“Strongly guarded as is the separation between religion and & Gov’t in the Constitution of the United States the danger of encroachment by Ecclesiastical Bodies, may be illustrated by precedents already furnished in their short history.” (Detached Memoranda, circa 1820)

“Having always regarded the practical distinction between Religion and Civil Government as essential to the purity of both, and as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States, I could not have otherwise discharged my duty on the occasion which presented itself.” (Letter to Baptist Churches in North Carolina, June 3, 1811)

Sorry!

These zealots need to spend some more time becoming familiar with the Enlightenment. The framers were products of the Enlightenment, as was the whole notion of America — despite what fakers like Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck will tell you.

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  • Dan Tomkinson

    Another shining example is the resentment being expressed at the expansion of executive powers nuder the GWB administration and now exercised by the Kenyan usurper (sarcasm).My, oh my, it just pisses off the tea partiers knowing that Obama has assumed the legal right to read their electronic communications.Fools! All of them! (ok, only most of them)

  • IntoxiNation

    But what does the other founding fathers think, like Tom Delay and Newt Gingrich? My Texas history book says something different.

  • http://willpen.wordpress.com/ Willpen

    Sarah Palin is slowly becoming a 21st century despot. She is becoming crazed with the power that she thinks she yields. This new desire to rip apart one of the most important tenets of our Constitution, just may backfire on her. I can’t imagine any other legitimately elected politician actually standing up a saying something so insane, but then again, I could never have imagined any of the shit that has been going on lately.There is an amazing piece written by Brooke Allen which was published in “The Nation” on February 3, 2005, aptly named “Our Godless Constitution”. It is a brilliant analysis that proves everything that we know to be true and and disproves everything that these fuck heads think they know.http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050221/allen/single

  • eljefejeff

    As if Sarah Palin could actually comprehend anything James Madison said….

  • Irish Girl

    Bob, so many on the right will say in response to your post that the excerpt you are using is from a letter, and not from the Constitution. Thus, it has no bearing.But these same people have no problem quoting from external sources of the time when it suits their purposes. It would be so nice if we could just use the Constitution only by itself (snark). But in reality the Constitution is actually fairly brief compared to other legal documents. And it covers some very large concepts about the law, human rights, religion, etc. So it makes sense (logical sense, which the right isn’t so good at using) that we’d use contextual and historical writings to help us interpret the Founders’ intent. If Palin was properly educated she would know this is an accepted means of scholarly inquiry and understanding of how to interpret the Constitution. Likewise, legislation and case law elucidate and explain how what the Constitution means and how it is to be implemented. But she and others like her don’t understand that either. They think no interpretation is needed. Except, of course, their own. And how perfectly circular and asinine is that?

  • MattMcD

    One thing I’ve always wondered about: if this is, in fact, a Christian nation as Miss Wasilla proclaims, what type of Christianity are we talking about.Obviously to her, it’s not a Catholic nation. But we can’t just say it’s a Protestant nation, can we? Is it a Methodist nation, or a Baptist, or Pentacostal one? Her buddy Glenn Beck would say it’s a Mormon nation, as frightening as that is. And what does their bestest pal Joe Lieberman think about it?Who is she going to leave out?

  • Mather Z

    So… 2012. Palin is the presidential candidate for the Tea/Conservative/Wingut/God+Whitey4Ever Party, and is the right’s Ralph Nader (well, Opposite Nader, all style, no substance), splitting the vote and Obama cruises to an easy win.Wishful thinking? Maybe, but it seems plausible to me.

  • http://tarackian.deviantart.com/ J M Ashby

    Gee, clearly Madison was anti-american and a heretic.Im sure thats what Palin or Bachmann would say.

  • jhw22

    @ Matt McD — if we were to go by the founding fathers religion of choice at the time of the Constitution, we’d be Unitarian. Considering Joseph Priestly was a major influence on several of our founding fathers, I’d guess we’d be a Unitaian, climate-protecting nation. :) I don’t think Ms. Silly from Wasilly would like that idea much.Jennifer