Heritage Festival Must-Do

Don't miss the Dakota Dogs at the Heritage Festival. They are FANTASTIC.

(Shameless promotion of two of my favorite people, who have done a LOT of good for South Dakota, Erin McCarrick and Melissa Krause! They sell great dogs too, with all the fixins.)

Give a rouse! Have a great dog! Be safe out there!

And reflect on this from the Freedom From Religion Foundation:

In 1797 America made a treaty with Tripoli, declaring that "the government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." This reassurance to Islam was written under Washington's presidency, and approved by the Senate under John Adams.

The First Amendment To The U.S. Constitution:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . ."

What about the Declaration of Independence?

We are not governed by the Declaration. Its purpose was to "dissolve the political bands," not to set up a religious nation. Its authority was based on the idea that "governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed," which is contrary to the biblical concept of rule by divine authority. It deals with laws, taxation, representation, war, immigration, and so on, never discussing religion at all.

The references to "Nature's God," "Creator," and "Divine Providence" in the Declaration do not endorse Christianity. Thomas Jefferson, its author, was a Deist, opposed to orthodox Christianity and the supernatural.

And so I say: God bless America, and the freedoms that make it possible! May freedom's guardians gain in strength and stubborness!!!!!