George,

Just a quick commentary on the whole church and state thing in America again:

The American public has been afraid of having a Catholic President since the birth of the nation because they feared that he (or she) would govern the country under the doctrines of the Pope and the Catholic Church, not the doctrines of our deomocratic republic. This is the reason that our country has only seen one Catholic president, namely John F. Kennedy. While everyone is entitled to express his or her religious beliefs, I don't think it was a good idea to have a public benediction at a political event, since not everyone believes in Jesus Christ and the doctrines of one or any Christian Church. In order to cater to a nation that is becoming more and more diverse, a public servant should respect this fact in addressing the public. The world is becoming smaller and smaller, and we must realize the existence of different beliefs within our communities and respect them if we are to become a global society.

À la prochain, George.

Josef (Josef Cheek, electronic mail, January 30, 2001)