For example, the phrase "separation of church and state" has been so misused as to no longer even remotely resemble what Jefferson was actually talking about,
You don't have the capacity to understand what Jefferson "meant" in anything he wrote. I don't mean that you're intentionally applying a self serving connotation to his words that doesn't exist, although that's likely happening also, I mean that you literally don't have the mental horsepower to conceptualize it. Which is fine, but it pretty much makes any discussion with you regarding it useless.
Now, setting aside the list of thinkers who articulated concepts you lack the capacity to understand (and it's a long list :( ), the relevant civics issue here is the modern understanding of church and state. What children learn in public school about what the founders believed is meaningless. People who study the issue *at all* beyond that instruction will immediately realize it's meaningless and inaccurate. People who don't are essentially powerless when it comes to policy. Like you, for instance; unable to understand much of what the founders were about conceptually, and willfully ignorant about much of what you are capable of understanding. Fortunately for society, though, you are completely powerless in every way to effect change of any kind.
Unlike many people who would term themselves progressives, I'm not of the naive opinion that average people, like yourself, can be taught effective critical thinking or reason. I'm of the opinion, rather, that the goal is to lie to easily manipulated people, like you, more effectively so that they arrive at opinion that happens to coincide with fact. You can't teach every man to fish, sometimes you just have to feed them. Hopefully as a political faction we'll become more effective at preying on the low hanging defenseless fruit like you and moving opinion to where we'd like to be. We do need substantially more cynicism, however. There are far too many idealists in our faction, and they can't compete with self hating closeted gay bible clutching sociopaths in terms of manipulating the ignorant masses. Hope springs eternal, though.
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Disclaimer:
To make a long story short, I don't take any responsibility for anything I post here. It's not news, it's not truth, it's not serious. It's parody. It's satire. It's bitter. It's angsty. Your mother's a *****. You like to jack off dogs. That's right, you heard me. You like to grab that dog by the bone and rub it like a ski pole. Your dad? Gay. Your priest? Straight. **** off and let me post. It's not true, it's all in good fun. Now go away.
