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It's pretty weird that this is debatable at a conservative forum

We are not talking about the First Amendment in it's entirety, I at least, am talking about the "establishemnt and free exercise" clause of the First Amendment.

I think it is eminently debatable but you're one of the good guys and I don't want to make you an enemy.

We'll have to agree to disagree.

With Lugsoul, on the other hand, I have no problem in wrestling in the mud.

Lug, did you read post #582? :-}

I don't want to fight you or anyone else at this forum.

And I'm leaving this forum for tonight after this post, but I'm willing to debate whether or not the First Amendment in its entirety has been applied to the states. I am positive that it has.

What gets me into trouble with many people here is that I will argue what the law is, and even defend it, from my legal background. It has nothing to do with my political, religous, social, or whatever views on the subject. I want to explain what the law is, and why it is.

When I do so, I'm seen on the opposite side philosophically, which may be true or not, depending on the issue.

But my true loyalty is to the Rule of Law and the Constitution. 95% of the time, I think that puts me on the side of Christians, Republicans, conservatives, and all my friends. 5% of the time, I'm making enemies by taking a position.

I'd like to reduce that 5%.

"Blaine was the champion of nativist, anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant prejudice," Jeffries said, "and his amendment was hostile to any use of government money for any religious use anywhere ever. It attempted to foreclose any possibility that Catholic schools would get public money. The public schools were Protestant and the Blaine amendment went so far as to say that the amendment was not meant to prevent the reading of the King James Bible in schools. Catholics opposed private reading of the Bible because they believed unguided reading could lead to error. So they didn't want their children in the public schools. The Blaine amendment was trying to preserve the informal establishment of Protestantism as the official American religion."

Dean John Jeffries - University of Virginia Law School

Blaine was not the author of the 14th Amendment