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The American Taliban
The American Taliban, despite having taken a licking at the polls November 7th, unfortunately is still alive and well. Newly elected Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to the U. S. House of Representatives, is under fire from those self-appointed guardians of an America that exists only in their perverted, warped minds: Minnesota Democrat Ellison has decided to take the oath of office with his hand on a Qur’an instead of a Bible.
Critics of Ellison accuse him of “undermining American culture,” of not being willing to place his hand on the book “our country was founded on.” They’re wrong; indeed, they are the ones who are undermining American culture: nothing could be more un-American than forcing a particular religion or, indeed, any religion at all, on any person, elected official or otherwise.
His supporters invoke the First Amendment but they need not because Ellison’s right to place his hand on any book he wishes (or no book at all) derives from an American document that’s even older than the Bill of Rights. The third paragraph of Article VI of the U. S. Constitution, a paragraph that was in the original Constitution, reads as follows:
“The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.” (Emphasis mine.)
Mr. Ellison made no secret of his religious beliefs, and the good people of his district elected him to represent them in Congress. Why can’t some people accept that?
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12/1/06 9:23 PM