"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Apparently that means nothing to some people. As far as I know, the US Government, Wisconsin State government nor any other more local government bodies has done anything to establish a state religion. THAT was the purpose of this amendment to the Constitution. The purpose was never to oppress religion. A quick trip back in history will show that, yes children, that is the reason that many of the people left Europe and other places to settle in what is now the great United States of America. Freedom to practice whatever religion they want to practice.

It's important for us to remember at Christmas time especially, that we are a country founded by people of faith. Most of the country is still Christian, but even the people who are not Christian still have the freedom to practice (or not practice) whatever religion they want. There is a small, but loud movement to remove all trace of God from any public space. Displays of the 10 Commandments have come under fire and in some cases have been removed. You may not have noticed, but the new one dollar coins do not have "In God We Trust" on the face of the coin. It has moved to the edge, the first part that will wear while in use. It's about time we do something, before what's left is eroded away.

I'm happy to see the nativity displays at courthouses and other publicly owned spaces in northeastern Wisconsin. Displays in Green Bay and Manitowoc are under fire from a group in Madison. Do what you can to voice your opinion to preserve our rights to practice our religion. Call your local representative and tell them you support these displays and that you support the Christmas Tree in Madison. It's about time that politically correctness be put in check.

Merry Christmas!