The Argument About Religion and American Government is Nothing New

Slacktivist reads The Godless Constitution: The Case Against Religious Correctness and base on his post I'm ready to read it myself.  My favorite quote from the post isn't really about his take on the book, rather it's his take on the Republicans in the house kicking off the 112th Congress by reading the entire US Constitution:

I'm a big fan of the Constitution and I'm all for reading it — publicly or privately, silently or aloud. If almost anyone else were proposing this stunt, I'd say it couldn't hurt. But I pay attention, and after years of seeing this lot disrespecting national symbols and institutions by reducing them to tribalist slogans and playground taunts I don't relish the idea of these idiots doing the same to the Constitution. I don't want to see it distorted and disrespected the way the John Birchers of the tea party movement treat the American flag, the national anthem, the names and memories of the founders and every other symbol they can usurp for use as a culture-war weapon while failing utterly to comprehend its meaning.

I'm also worried that some member of the GOP's growing Bircher contingent — Michelle Bachmann, maybe — will come away from this reading convinced that President Obama should be impeached because he only counts as three-fifths of a person.

What I'm most interested in watching for during this stunt, however, is to see if any of the more theocratically minded members of Congress notice what the Constitution does not say. Unlike these pious politicians, the Constitution never mentions God. At all.

Sadly I think he could be right to worry about Bachmann.  Every time I think she's maxed out the crazyspeak-ometer she goes out and tops herself.


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