In 1962, the Supreme Court ruled that praying in school was unconstitutional, setting the stage that began the assault on America’s religious freedom. Interestingly, children saying prayers in school does not and cannot qualify as Congress making a law to establish religion.

But it certainly could be interpreted as prohibiting the free exercise thereof. Yet, that somehow was not the determination made by the Earl Warren-led Supreme Court.

How the SCOTUS drew this conclusion is still beyond my understanding. Did none of them read The Federalist #10, in which James Madison writes, “By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.”

No wonder we are so divided — we are each part of a faction that developed from this 1962 ruling. But is it really unconstitutional or simply an ‘impulse of passion,’ as Madison describes?

It’s as if our president is simply looking for a friend anywhere in the world. It’s like a child on the playground looking to find someone, anyone who’ll pay attention to them…

“I actually welcome President Castro commenting on some of the areas where he feels that we’re falling short, because I think we should not be immune or afraid of criticism or discussion as well.” — President Obama

I’d feel bad for Obama if it wasn’t so calculated.

Okay, okay, okay…time and again I’ve been asked to explain what I find wrong with Donald Trump’s candidacy. To be candid – absolutely nothing – as he has every right to run for the presidency of this country.

But what he says – well, that’s a whole other thing – but you have to really listen and get beyond his ‘rough-and-tumble’ ad-libs and rhetoric. Yes, he has people stirred up throughout the political spectrum, especially those of us who’ve endured these nearly-eight years of astutely-executed Progressive ideologies.

But jus’ because he appears to be saying the ‘right’ thing – doesn’t mean he isn’t couching his actual policies in amongst those bombastic words. Take for instance his comments on January 21, where he literally stated:

“And you know what, there’s a point at which, let’s get to be a little bit establishment, because we gotta get things done, folks, okay? Believe me, don’t worry, we’re gonna get such great deals, but at a certain point, you can’t be so strident, you can’t not get along, we gotta get along with people.”

A ‘little bit’ of establishment,’ is too much establishment. What is need is less government, less professional, life-time politicians and less lobbyists — not more establishment.

Then there are these little gems from February 2016, “We’re going to repeal and replace the horror known as Obamacare, it is a horror,” and, “I want to get rid of Obamacare and get you something great.”

It worries me that a man who’s made so much money wouldn’t want us to return to the free market system of healthcare. Instead he wants to continue the pattern the Obama Administration began of forcing so-called ‘free’ health care down our throats.

And no, I am not telling you who to support or how to vote. All I’m doing is pointing out some glaring inconsistencies within Trump’s campaign speeches – the rest is up to you.

Nevada Senator Harry Reid wants the Obama’s administration to grab a stretch of land in Southern Nevada near the Bundy Ranch, now that many in the Bundy group are in federal custody. Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, his sons Ammon and Ryan, and several supporters, are facing federal charges stemming from two standoffs with the federal government.

Emboldened by this, Reid took to the Senate floor Thursday to renew his push to preserve the scenic Gold Butte area northeast of Las Vegas by attacking the Bundy’s and the 2014 Bunkerville showdown.

“Because of this legislation and now the fact that the Bundys’ are all in jail, I’m going to reach out to the White House, no guarantee we’ll get it done, that’s for sure, to see if President Obama will protect this area,” Reid said in a speech from the Senate floor.

Reid argued protections are needed to preserve Gold Butte’s tribal sites and its “stunning” Joshua trees. He displayed photos of petroglyphs he said had been drawn over, shot at and stolen.

Obama “has the authority, as any president does, to stop this sort of destruction and stop it now,” Reid said. “Congress created the Antiquities Act to empower the president to protect our culture, our historic and natural resources when and where Congress cannot or will not.”

Obama has used the act 22 times to set aside 265 million acres of federally administered lands and waters, more than any other president and has confiscated nearly four million acres of Western land, more than all other presidents except Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton.

Meanwhile, Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, et. al., and all the national talk shows are mesmerized by the circus-jerk-us of presidential politics, and while we are being deceived by the ‘DNC verses the GOP’ false paradigm, a rogue federal government is targeting our liberties.

Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy will remain in custody without bail in advance of his federal trial. A judge made the ruling Thursday after Bundy’s attorney asked for, and was granted a review of his previous detention hearing in Oregon.

In my humble opinion, this is tantamount to “cruel and unusual punishment.” You must remember he’s being held in custody because he verbally threatened federal law enforcement officers – not physically mind you, but verbally. This proves that the federal government is coming at our 2nd Amendment right through the 1st Amendment.

If you speak out, you shall be declared a threat and dealt with accordingly. After all, a man was gunned down along U.S. 395 in Oregon for no more than having holstered weapon on his hip and his hands in the air.

Do you believe that people possess the right to life, liberty, property, and freedom from the restrictions of arbitrary force? Do you believe you have the right to exercise these rights through the use of your natural free will?

That means the ability to follow your own dreams, to do what you want to do — so long as you don’t harm others — and to reap the rewards. Above all, it means freedom from oppression by government and the protection by government against oppression.

It means political liberty, the freedom to speak your mind and advocate any political position that suits your fancy. It means religious liberty to worship as you please. It also means the liberty not to have to do any of those things.

Liberty also means economic liberty, the freedom to allocate resources by the free play of supply and demand and the free market system that follows from it; it means the freedom to own property and to use it accordingly.

Do you believe in the notion that the pursuit of virtue is central to human existence, and that liberty is an essential component of the pursuit of virtue? After all virtue is a necessary element in the pursuit of freedom — it ensures that freedom will be pursued for the common good — and when freedom is abused and must be controlled, virtue provides a standard for restraint.

Our Founding Fathers realized that the greatest threats to liberty are the impositions of government, whether monarchical, democratic, or otherwise. On the other hand, they also realized that there are some things the government must control like borrowing money, regulating commerce with foreign nations and between States, immigration, bankruptcy law, coin money, post offices, patents, punish piracy on the high seas, declare war, raise an army, and maintain a navy.

Do you believe in tradition and order?

Tradition speaks first to the idea of conserving the values that have been established over centuries, resulting in an orderly society. Secondly, it believes that human nature has the capacity to build a social order that respects human rights and is able to repel evil.

On the other hand order is a systematic and harmonious arrangement, both within your own character and in the State. It entails the performance of certain duties and the enjoyment of certain rights in your life. It’s absolutely necessary for life and the pursuit of our dreams.

Order is an achievement that is easily taken for granted; it is perhaps more easily understood by looking at its opposite — disorder which is confusing and miserable. And if a society falls into general disorder, many of its members will cease to have a voice in their daily lives.

Disorder also helps to explain why order depends upon virtue — if you are I are disordered in our spirit, the outward order of society will not endure.

Let’s be clear historically: The American Revolutionary War was not a battle between the British And Americans. It was a battle between British Colonists and their government.

It was a battle to win independence from government intrusion, denial of liberty, and government control. It was a civil war, not a foreign war.

At 8:25 a.m. Sunday morning, March 27, 2016, multiple agencies responded the report of suspicious circumstances including reports of gunshots and chanting in the predawn hours in the Deep Creek hot springs area in a remote part of Apple Valley. Deputies from Apple Valley, Hesperia, Adelanto and Victorville Police Departments also responded to help.

Seventeen men of Middle Eastern descent were ‘detained.’

A caller to 911 reported hearing more than 100 shots fired and seeing several men wearing turbans in the area of the shooting. San Bernardino County sheriff’s office said the men were released after authorities found no evidence of a specific crime or outstanding warrants.

With the help of a sheriff’s helicopter, deputies located the men walking away from a creek carrying backpacks and other items. A search found several handguns, a rifle and a shotgun

“A records check of the subjects, their weapons, and their vehicles was completed,” the statement said. “The records check revealed none of the subjects had a criminal history or outstanding warrants, the weapons were registered with the Department of Justice except for the rifle, and the vehicles were also registered.”

One rifle did not have a serial number because it was bought in parts. But it was deemed to be legal in California.

Sheriff’s investigators contacted several hikers, but supposedly none saw the guns being fired. However, Dave Stevens, who was hiking at the Hot Springs on Sunday, said he first heard shots fired around 6:30 a.m. and saw five or six men “shooting in the air.”

“I was about 50 feet away from the hot tub and saw them fire about six to eight shots,” Stevens said.

Stevens also said he heard from other hikers that the men were chanting, but did not know anything else as he quickly left the area. His statement’s bolstered by police scanner traffic posted online describing “a large group of subjects wearing turbans and chanting” at the scene.

“They were up all night chanting ‘Allah akbar’-type stuff,” an unidentified law enforcement officer is heard saying on the audio recording as he speaks to his dispatcher.

“None of the subjects that were interviewed were found to be terrorists,” Sheriff’s spokeswoman Jodi Miller said. “They were detained, interviewed and cooperated fully with deputies.”

Another sheriff’s spokeswoman, Olivia Bozek said, “The deputies detained the subjects and from what I was told they are going to be transported to the High Desert Detention Center.  I do not know what charges they are going to be booked for.”

And so the question remains: If the 17 men aren’t terrorist, were they arrested or simply detained and if only being detained, why were they taken to a detention center and why speculate on what charges they might face? None of this adds up.

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Zubik v. Burwell last week. At issue is whether the federal government can force the Little Sisters of the Poor, the Catholic University of America and the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington to provide contraceptive and abortion coverage as part of their health insurance plans, even if doing so goes against their free exercise of religion.

But there seems to be more afoot than the question of exemptions as alluded to by Justice Elena Kagan.

“I thought there was a very strong tradition in this country, which is that when it comes to religious exercises, churches are special, and that…if you’re saying that every time Congress gives an exemption to churches and synagogues and mosques, that they have to open that up to all religious people, then the effect of that is that Congress just decides not to give an exemption at all,” she said.

Basically, Kagan is disallowing for individual liberty, instead pointing to the Progressive idea that only ‘organized religious institutions’ can skirt the mandate. This is contrary to what the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

Meanwhile, the Catholic Church has long taught the immorality of abortion and contraception. These teachings are indivisible from the faith and orthodox followers, which include religious institutions and as such, demand protection under the U.S. Constitution.

But to the government, as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg later indicated, such beliefs aren’t a ‘compelling’ reason to allow an exemption, especially when the ‘right’ to ‘preventative healthcare services’ is at risk.

“As you know, the — the original health care plan didn’t provide these covered services for women, and it saw a compelling interest there, a need that was marginally ignored up until then,” Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg stated.

The federal government through the SCOTUS is trying to marginalize religious freedom, by spawning a state-created orthodoxy where individual religious beliefs are unacceptable.

Thomas Jefferson recognized the relationship between God and man when he penned a letter to the Danbury Baptists in 1802: “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 and State. Adhering to this expression of the supreme will of the nation in behalf of the rights of conscience, I shall see with sincere satisfaction the progress of those sentiments which tend to restore to man all his natural rights, convinced he has no natural right in opposition to his social duties.”

By distorting Jefferson’s word, this important concept’s been used to sanitize school classrooms, war memorials and courtrooms of references to faith. Its misapplication has led to believe that Jefferson’s intent was to confine religion to the church as shown by Kagan and Ginsburg.

Finally, when a new ‘right’ violates another God-given liberty — that so-called ‘right’ isn’t from God — but rather from imperfect man.