A week has passed with no post - but the time has not been entirely uneventful.

Before I attempt to catch up on things, I was stuck by a quote from George Washington I ran across tonight. It is especially worth repeating as congressional conservatives take ever more bold and aggressive steps to impose their ideology on public policy and lawmaking - lawmaking that seems intent on diminishing the rights of some people...



"The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for giving to Mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection, should demean themselves as good citizens...while every one shall sit under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid."

If only.

Well, my first concern is getting my own vine and fig tree to sit under. Hopefully those who want their bigotry sanctioned and government assistance with their persecution will fail and leave me there in peace.

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