A little fun at first, and then a serious note about the first amendment
July 2, 2007 (Monday) – Doing a daily blog has been good for me, because it has helped me to see my overuse of certain words. Words like, “so,” “just,” and “really” keep cropping up. I use “so” for “therefore,” “just” just because, and “really” to make sure the reader REALLY knows I REALLY mean what I’m REALLY saying. SO, I can stand a little improvement in my writing skills. AND, “and.” I do love JUST to start a sentence with “AND.” AND It’s perfectly acceptable to exercise such liberty with a conjunction that’s REALLY meant JUST to fall somewhere in between ideas and stuff. But I can’t resist temptation, SO I do it JUST a little too much, REALLY stretching the allowed parameters of unusual usage, SO I’m JUST going to watch it from now on. AND I’m going to try REALLY hard JUST to do it right. SO, from now on, JUST pay attention to the way I REALLY try to avoid using these words too much. AND let me know how I do. AND SO I JUST REALLY thank you.
Now that I’ve got that out of my system, I’m ready to proceed with the blog.
As we approach Independence Day, I remind myself to be thankful for the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, without which it probably would not have been approved. I am particularly interested in the First Amendment, which says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
This amendment guarantees our religious freedom.
Some say the phrase, “separation of church and state,” is not in the Constitution. They are right. The exact phrase is not there. But the essence of that pivotal belief is found in the First Amendment. And it is good. It has served us well. The ideals in it were not plucked from thin air; they were bed-rock convictions about freedom that had developed from bitter experiences of persecution. We should be grateful to those who worked for its inclusion in this grand document that forms the basis for our democratic form of government.