Sunday, June 17, 2007

More Random Thoughts

My mind had some free time to think up of some goofy thoughts, so I actually wrote most of them down in order to share them with you here. Buckle up really tight, in case you have to laugh too hard.

1. Who was the first snake oil salesman, and was he really selling snake oil?,

2. Isn't the phrase political correctness an oxymoron? The only thing that is "politically correct" for politicians is their favorite radio station, WII-FM (What's In It For Me?). This is especially true in New Jersey, where both grafting and pension-padding is still legal.,

3. Which pudding was the proof found in?, and

4. Who came up with the name disposable douche? I tend to think, "Who wants to keeps it?"

The section below is an extension of my random thoughts, as I digress on some familiar song titles from the years past.

1. "Save A Prayer" by Duran Duran, "Like A Prayer" by Madonna, "Let Us Pray" by Elvis Presley, and "I Say A Little Prayer" by Dionne Warwick (Aretha Franklin has the more famous version)- Don't let the thought police hear you say it in public. They'll be crying, "Separation of church and state."

If I can go off on a tangent, this fallacious phrase does NOT exist anywhere in the Constituion. It was concocted in the mind of the bereaved Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black in the 1947 case, Everson v. Board of Education. This case dealt with the Ewing Township, NJ Board of Education reimbursing partial monies to families for bussing children to Catholic school. If you would like to read more about this, you can read it in Mark Levin's book, Men In Black: How the Supreme Court is Destroying America . By the way, Hugo Black was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.,

2. "Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin- Makes me think of O.B. or some other feminine product. I will leave it at that.

3. "Who's Crying Now" by Journey- A couple weeks ago, the answer would have been Paris Hilton. Now, it is disbarred District Attorney Michael Nifong, the man who wrongfully accused three Duke lacrosse players. You only have yourself to blame., and

4. "Falling In Love" by Hamilton, Joe Frank, and Reynolds, "Shining Star" by The Manhattans, and "Faithfully" by Journey- I tend to catch myself singing along to these songs when I hear them. The only problem is that, 1) I am not married, 2) I am not at a wedding reception, and 3) I am currently unattached. If the first two applied and passed the test, then it wouldn't be an issue. Even if I had a girlfriend, it could send them running (maybe not).

I will be working Monday through Friday this week. If you shall leave a message, please be patient. I wish you all a healthy and productive week ahead. Take care.

Bill

1 comment:

Dan Eisner said...

No, the phrase "separation of church and state" does not appear in the Constitution. Nor does the phrase "innocent until proven guilty." Does the absence of that phrase mean that the Constitution doesn't guarantee this right?

Of course not.

In case you haven't read the Constitution, here is the First Amendment:

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.

(italics mine)

That phrase makes it pretty damn clear that the government should have nothing to do with religion.

Let's take a look at what Thomas Jefferson--the author of the Declaration of Independence-- thought about government and religion:

"I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should 'make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,' thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."

And let's see what James Madison--a principal author of the Constitution--said:

“Strongly guarded as is the separation between religion and government in the Constitution of the United States the danger of encroachment by Ecclesiastical Bodies, may be illustrated by precedents already furnished in their short history.”

Do you still believe that Hugo Black concocted that phrase?