Summer Posting Starts

Which doesn't make any difference to me, unless I have to travel to perform some weird snake rites in isolated areas. But it's nice to take note of the change in seasons, to stay in touch with the real events that are happening in nature. For example, now is the time to eat strawberries in northern climates, because now is when they actually want to ripen. Mmmm, fresh strawberries! One of the few things that I can name which is both wickedly delicious, non-fattening and very good for you. Especially wonderful dipped in melted chocolate.

After all that sinful talk, I'd like to give this list of opinions by the so-called Founding Fathers of the United States on the role of religion in the country they were creating:

"The United States is in no sense founded upon the Christian Doctrine."
~George Washington

"I do not find in orthodox christianity one redeeming feature."
~Thomas Jefferson

"I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My mind is my own church."
~Thomas Paine

"The Bible is not my book, and Christianity is not my religion. I could never give the assent to the long, complicated statements of Christian dogma."
~Abraham Lincoln

(I got these from a commenter on a thread at Atrios, but I failed to copy the signature line, and now I can't locate the comment.)