My problem is that this is, again, a small minority using the court system to shove their opinion down the throats of the vast majority. In my opinion it takes a neurotic person to feel wronged by other people saying "under God" out loud, when they aren't required to say it themselves.

I think that we should look into wrongs against minorities, and fix them whenever possible, but catering to the oversensitive and deranged is a waste of money and time.

the people with the thinnest skin are those christians who spend all their time trying to sneak one past the constitution.  its not as if they arent part of the cultural majority (there's no question america is a christian culture altho it's supposed to be a secular civil state) and it would be damn near impossible for the small minority to persecute them or their religion.  they are so bound and determined to force their faith down everyones' throats, theyre willing--if not eager--to trash the very precise structures created to protect their right to worship as they please by the most brilliant men of what may well be the most brilliant generation of statesmen in human history.

what's ironic (altho hardly amusing except in an extremely sardonic sense) is the most rabid of these are often the same people who whine the most about their perception of hypersensitivity on the part of ethnic minorities who--as a group--suffered centuries of horrific mistreatment and are still frequently negatively stereotyped (see tractor chick's blog about black doctors for a perfect example).  there's a hell of a lotta difference between being thought of as subhuman and not being permitted to erect a religious display at a publicly owned facility.

of course it doesnt apply.  our government should not--as madison noted--have any cognizance of religion.  it's not necessary for the state to function properly.  more importantly, religious involvement in government or vice versa interferes with the functions of government and invites conflict of interest.  i have no problem with people believing anything they want or engaging in whatever rituals they wish as long as they comply with state civil and criminal codes.  furthermore, im not under any order or divine injunction to spread my beliefs or insist that others conform their behavior to my moral code.    

i didnt say anything of the sort.  i didnt say everyone does anything--or anything even close to that.   it has nothing to do with seeing things my way.   im certainly not the one posting the flurry of hysterical 'christianity is being persecuted' alarms that have been appearing here for the past 6 weeks, bemoaning vicious attacks on ancient christmas traditions that date back possibly as far as 150 years (of which, the candycane is so ridiculous, its close to being heretical).   

id rather be right than be president.