Time for a civics lesson

Today, the President will take the oath of office for a second time. He will likely say, at the end of the oath, "so help me God."

Now, anyone who has read this blog knows how I just love hearing how this is a Christian nation, etc., from people who don't know their American history and think individual rights and open dissent are unpatriotic, when exactly the opposite is true.

For today's little lesson, I refer you to a document that I honestly don't think the President and his entourage have read (at least not in its entirety), the United States Constitution. Specifically, please see Article II, section 1, clause 8: Before he enter on the Execution of his Office, he shall take the following Oath or Affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

"Oath OR AFFIRMATION?" An option to "AFFIRM"? Really? That suggests *gasp* that a President might not want to swear to his oath. Now, if this is a Christian nation, how could this possibly be? Who wrote this silly document? What's that? The Founding Fathers wrote it? Now, isn't that interesting?

Oh, one other note: would someone like to tell me where in the Constitution's mandate of an oath it says, "so help me God"? Don't waste time looking. It's not there!

This country was founded with a strong belief in the separation of Church and State, with an eye toward freedom from religion, as much as it was toward freedom of religion.

So as we enter a second term of this Administration, someone needs to remind many of our fellow citizens that their religious views are just that--their views, not mine. So stop trying to legislate your view of the world, morality and God into my life. I won't stand idly by, and, for the record, I am the one upholding the patriotic values on which this country was founded, not the religious right.