John, one of the anomalies of our time is the tendency of those who are most adamant in their claims that the Federal government is "taking away our rights," to be the most vociferous in proposing laws and Constitutional amendments that restrict personal liberty. And those who argue passionately for states' rights seem blind to the fact that it is the states themselves, not so much the Federal government, which most interferes in our personal lives.

Restrictive gun laws, speech codes, and laws relating to alcohol, tobacco, seatbelts, helmets, vehicles, marriage, abortion, and just about every other aspect of our personal lives are affected far more by the states than by the Federal government. Most Federal mandates are tied to the use of Federal funds by state and local governments and individuals, not to the citizenry generally.

I grew up at a time when "blue laws" were in effect, i.e., virtually all businesses were required by law to close up on Sundays to respect the Sabbath. A few locales even required businesses to close up on Wednesday evening, because most churches held prayer services then. A non-Mormon acquaintance who grew up in Utah told me that the town he lived in during the 1950's had a law against hanging underwear outdoors on clothes-lines. It is only a short step from Christian blue laws to the Muslim sharia law.