Always On Watch Two: Letter From The White House

Dated February 27, 2006, and signed by Special Assistant to the Preseident and Director of Presidential Correspondence (my comments in red brackets):

On behalf of President Bush, thank you for your correspondence. The President appreciates your taking the time to write. [As I recall, I sent to the White House some passages from the Koran and the Hadith to point out that Islam is not a religion of peace. I also explained the concept of abrogation of verses]

America is a land of many faiths, and the right to religious freedom is a cornerstone of our Nation. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights guarantee individuals the right to worship as they choose or not to worship at all. [I have no quarrel with those statements. But when religious freedom extends to persecuting those who don't follow a particular religion, I part ways with that religion's having a Consitutional guarantee. And what if a particular teacher of a particular religion advocates the overthrow of our Constitution? At that point, the ideology is geopolitical and not personal faith] Today, we continue to welcome the important contributions of people of faith in our society. We also work to reject religious bigotry in every form [There's the implication that the material I sent to the White House was an expression of religious bigotry. Ugh!], striving for a society that honors the life and faith of every person both at home and abroad. [Explain to me how one can honor the life of every person if particular religions desire to subjugate or exterminate others] As President Bush has said, a society that welcomes religion is a wholesome and healthy society. [Any religion? What about the Church of Satan?]

Protecting our religious freedom requieres the vigilance of the American people and of government at all levels. The Bush Administration remains committed to this goal, and the Department of Justice is acting to uphold our Nation's laws and founding ideals, including prosecuting those who attack people of places of worship because of religions affiliatoion. The Department of Education has issued guidelines that protect students' rights to say a prayer before meals in the cafeteria, to gather with other students to pray, and to engage in other expression s of personal faith. President Bushs's Faith-Based and Community Initiaitive encourages the important work of faith-based and community organizations and helps support effective social services, including those provided by people and organizations of faith. President's Faith-Based and Community Initiative encourages the important work of faith-based and community organizations and helps support effective social services, including those provided by people and organizations of faith. [This paragraph is advertising for the President's Faith-Based Initiatives and is not on-topic]

President Bush values the right of all Americans to religious freedom, and he appreciates learning your views. [He got my views, all right] Thank you again for writing. [Why bother to write again?] Best wishes.