You don’t find those words in the second amendment or third, only the first. Can anyone not see such a clear intent? Both Mr. Jefferson and Mr. Madison, who went on to become our third and fourth presidents, clearly intended and absolutely prohibited the establishment of religion in this country. How anyone can fail to see the purpose of such a wise provision is beyond me.

Sadly, there are many in this country who actively seek to do away with this part of the First Amendment. They don’t believe all Americans should have freedom of conscience in spiritual matters. Many have gone as far as to say that America needs a "Christian nation," which would actually deprive all but a few Americans of our most basic civil liberties, including the right to believe or not believe in a particular god or follow a particular faith. To say "I strongly disagree" with their views is a gross understatement.

American citizens who value the freedom of conscience, be it to worship or not to worship, must oppose all attempts by the Religious Right to undermine, erode, and erase this critical Amendment to our Constitution. That includes opposing the nomination of a Chief Justice who by all appearances takes the American public for fools. For this reason, and others too numerous to list in one letter, I strongly urge you and all Democratic senators to vote "No" on Judge Roberts’ confirmation. Thank you. "

Unfortunately, this letter failed to accomplish its intended goal, as Judge Roberts was confirmed by a vote of 75-22. However, it is vital that we not give up. We must ask ourselves some hard questions now, while we still have the chance. Do we really want a Supreme Court with a majority of justices who take the collective view that individual rights and liberties must take a back seat to religious conformity? Although the main criteria for religious conservatives is now focused on getting a majority of pro-life judges on the Supreme Court who would overturn Roe v. Wade, what would be their agenda afterward?  And let's not forget an even more important question: when did we become so afraid of the Religious Right that we’re going to allow them to push us toward a theocratic dictatorship without even an attempt at a challenge?

Representatives of Christian fundamentalist organizations like Concerned Women For America, Focus On The Family, and Family Research Council have mounted a very effective strategy to keep any criticism of religious extremism – and extremists – to all but the most bland terms. All they have to do is say that anyone who voices concerns or criticisms about religion in general and Christianity in particular is either "hostile to Christianity" or is "anti-religion." What is truly alarming is the fact that to a large degree, this propaganda tactic has worked very well.

So how do we begin challenging the militant Christian fundamentalists who pose a clear and present danger to our civil liberties by advocating a "Christian nation?" How do we counter the momentum?  One way is to keep reminding them that the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights states the following: "Congress shall make no law respecting establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." Although Antonin Scalia, among others, insists that this amendment was intended solely to prevent government from interfering with various churches, he is forgetting, either by chance or by design, that it was also written to prevent the churches from influencing the workings of