Stephan:   There is a trend going on throughout the country, centered in Red value states; a trend which threatens the fundamental structure of the United States. I am speaking here about the growing linkage between  the Republican Party and a new form of Christianity, and the effort to breech the firewall separating church and state, as Thomas Jefferson named the policy. The Founders wrote the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment specifically to keep church and state apart. Now there is a very conscious and aggressive attempt to undo that foundational principle. Most of this never makes it into major media, which is unfortunate, and even when a story does surface, it is only here and there and there is no real coherent narrative context. I have been following this for years now, seeing it grow as a trend. So today I am devoting the entire edition to this issue, and to illustrate how strong this trend is, I have picked stories all of which came to light within the last week. -- Stephan