I'm an American citizen and a retired Army sergeant that gave almost 21 years of service to my country. I have my own opinions on things and I voice those opinions. The one thing I always worry about though is telling people how I feel about religions. It seems that every time I bring that particular subject up, people start to get very defensive and start with the insults and the defensiveness. I'm not talking about just your fanatical fundamentalists; I'm talking about your average person. Don't get me wrong, there are many people that could care less what I think, just as I usually don't care how they think. There is one exception however, and that is when I am asked to subscribe to their wacky notions of America.

First of all, the Christian Evangelical movement has been saying for years that our country's founders never really wanted separation of church and state. That this "notion" of separating the church from the state is being exaggerated by the leftist liberals. I don't want to burst their happy little bubble, but I do wonder why they said in the first place if they really didn't mean it? Does that mean that I now can say that the commandment "Thou shall not covet thy neighbors wife" was something God didn't want me to take literally and have an affair with a married woman? When is something that is written not assailable? If we can change the meaning of everything then why write it down in the first place?

The reason I'm hyped up today is because I received an e-mail at work, sent by my boss, that was authored by the American Family Association (whoever they are, they certainly don't represent my American family). In this e-mail, they are angry because Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn, wants to swear in on the Koran instead of the bible (He is a Muslim).They claim that this is un-American and for proof this is un-American, they offer up a letter on the subject that was written by a Jewish person. I guess this implies that this person who wrote the letter wasn't even one of them, so now, even the Jews, think this is disgusting. The letter asks me to sign a petition and write to my congressman and senator. They claim that the bible is America's book and that by swearing on the Koran is doing nothing but "giving in" to those that want to destroy our country. Wow. I didn't know that.

Another letter in The Greenville News states that South Carolina didn't give in to the left during this last election that gave control of Congress to Nancy Pelosi and the other left wing liberals. The letter states that the rest of America has given in to turning their backs on America and the President and our brave men and women fighting for freedom in Iraq, and that recent letter writer's to The Greenville News that have called the President a mass murderer and a criminal (me) should go back to New York or San Francisco and leave South Carolina because South Carolinians don't want them here.

So what do I do now, pack my bags and leave? I don't want to leave. I like it here, and so do other left wing liberals. In fact, I am going to tell you all at OpEdNews.com, that South Carolina (The Upstate) is the prettiest, most beautiful place I have ever been too and you should move here too. Hosing is very reasonable and utility rates haven't caught up with the rest of the nation. Except for a few Christian fundamentalists, this is an ideal spot for a left wing liberal to live. You can drive your Volvo and flash your Sierra Club membership and Downtown Greenville has a big park in the center of town. You can put a band there at your next protest against this immoral war in Iraq, started by a war criminal, President George W. Bush. Left wingers are moving here in droves, and pretty soon, all of the people moving here from NY and Massachusetts and Connecticut and coming up from Florida will outnumber all of these fundamentalist Christians. So come on in! We would love you to move here. If you are a computer geek, there are plenty of jobs. We have BMW, Mitsubishi, Michelin, and many more foreign companies here, all looking for a few good liberals to pay those big bucks too. They are building middle income housing here that is about 1/3rd the price you would pay for the same house and property in San Francisco.

So, now I don't feel so angry anymore.