davidcorpus's posterous

My 25!

Once you've been tagged, write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you.  When you have completed and posted it, tag 30 people including the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you! 

 

Just quit the internal whining and do it. (To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page; paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 30 people, then click publish.)   [This was originally on facebook]

 

1. Many people think I am a conspiracy theorist. The truth is that I won’t tolerate being lied to and I am generally perceptive at knowing when it is happening. I will not believe anything until it has been proven to me beyond a reasonable doubt.  I enjoy exploring the possibilities and I can accept that I may never discover the truth to many of the questions that I have during my lifetime.

 

2. My largest global concern is making potable drinking water and sanitary waste systems drainage available in all populated areas of the world. This is not a huge investment and is a very basic need.

 

3. I’ve almost completely given up on television because popular culture rewards people of no accomplishments who are unworthy of their lifestyles. These are not the influences our next generation desperately needs.  Popularity does not equal quality, and every TV show I have ever liked was cancelled far too quickly. Streaming rules!

 

4. I have discovered that if something is wrong in the world, someone is somehow financially profiting from it. It disgusts me that greed permeates every aspect of life on earth. Capitalism is economically good, but corporations need to operate ethically. Gain does not need to be at the loss of others. 

 

5. When I established my views concerning right and wrong, I took the entire planet into consideration. I understand that there is a reasonable amount of compromise, but I’d still prefer that society as a whole learn to tread lightly. Buying a trendy brand of clothing is wrong if it was sewn together by a worker who earns under $20.00 a week. Using petroleum products is wrong if it is acquired by means of war and then sold for extortion-like profit. Society focuses on single solutions; we need diversity including multiple options and they all need to weigh-in based on their overall positive and negative impacts.

 

6. All religions are based on a current regional opinion of ancient irrelevant books written by people. The current practice of most modern religions is the polar opposite of the few positive morals and ethics exhibited by the characters in the fictional stories that are revered as gospel. Religion is a form of mass mind control and the weekly sermons are aimed towards steering the public to make specific decisions in their lives toward a specific agenda. If you read about what your religion was doing 200 years ago you will be able to establish how you will be viewed in 200 years from today as a follower of that same failed system.

 

7. Karma and Fate are strippers (tip them well.) Both of these concepts are only excuses to not have to take an active and controlling role in an outcome. This is typically based in a combination of fear and a lack of willingness to execute a plan and put forth effort.

 

8. I have no interest in any superstitions at all. I deny the existence of gods, ghosts, psychics, astrology, mediums, souls, reincarnation or any other monster you want to make up.

 

9. I believe that people should be able to live their lives without fear of government intervention. Your rights end where someone else’s rights begin, so that line NEEDS to be protected at all times. I also believe in equal rights for ALL citizens.

 

10. I don’t I understand the “creation” argument. If “creation” required intelligent design, who intelligently designed the creator, and why don’t the same rules apply to that question? If you can accept that the creator just exists, why can’t you accept that the universe just exists? This whole topic is simply a defensive argument to allow people to reject science (The study of the natural universe) and to base their actions on silly interpretations of ancient books written by man.

 

11. I don’t believe that Police or Courts demanding fines do anything other than bring revenue, and in most cases it is outright theft. I also do not believe that jails or prisons serve a positive purpose. I believe that crimes with victims and crimes against the environment deserve enforcement, and that the perpetrator should be educated more than disciplined and should be treated for addiction if they suffer from it. I think fines should go to the victims, NOT the state. Traffic enforcement needs to be reduced to actual safety violations as proven by accidents, not by Officer’s opinions. NO accidents are prevented by issuing tickets for petty violations. More accidents are caused by worn-out tires than an anything else, yet Police never write tickets for worn tires.

 

12. I believe that Lobbyists are criminals and need to be kept away from our government officials. Corporations do not deserve special contact or controlling interests. Our elected officials are routinely bribed and decisions are paid for. This is unethical, immoral and should be illegal at the very surface. Any lobbyist caught communicating with a government official should be jailed. If you are a lobbyist and you want to remain in contact with your brother, I suggest you steer him away from politics. No excuses, no chances, no line in the sand. Lobbyists are a legal mafia.

 

13. I believe that the American health care system is flawed at the core. Research and development focuses on symptoms instead of cures. Doctors diagnose “syndromes” and focus less on the actual causes. Our current level of technology far exceeds this primitive approach to medicine or the fifteen minute appointment plan. The pharmaceutical industry is profit-oriented and it influences our doctors in the way they do business. 

 

14. I believe that health care should be a right of all Americans and not a luxury. Health insurance shouldn’t exist, but premiums should be available for better basic services like private hospital rooms. Socialized medicine may have some flaws, but they are nothing compared to the flaws with privatized health care. Someone shouldn’t lose their home because they suffered an organ failure or an accident. The same way in that we have public education, we should have public health care. We should have set prices for non-citizens to use our public health care, and they should be forced to pay upon completion of services rendered or be forced to depart the country and not allowed to return until their balance is paid.

 

15. There is absolutely no unbiased media in the entire world. Even if you attempt to use all the resources available to you, you will never find an accurate description of reality.  You would be lucky to get an accurate description of a single witness’s viewpoint, much less two distinct viewpoints from two different witnesses. Don’t believe the propaganda hype.

 

16. Addiction is a huge problem faced by humans every day. I believe that any products that contain addictive substances need to be labeled clearly and those ingredients and their quantities need to be identified as proven to be addictive. Nicotine, caffeine, sugar and chocolate are some basic examples.

 

17. Some simple food-related regulations I support: Plastics used in food storage should be non-leeching types only. Pesticides used on crops should be proven to be absent from the crop at the time of sale and should be easily filtered from the water table. Antibiotics used in livestock should be out of the animal’s tissue before the animal is allowed to be slaughtered and butchered for food, and it also should not be allowed to enter the water table. These things sound obvious, yet they are completely ignored. “Organic” food is not a solution to this basic principle in all foods. I’d also like to see an end to corn syrup, whey, and lactose use in foods, but I choose my battles.

 

18. Education in America has very basic fundamental flaws. As someone who is not directly involved in this field I can only speak from my exposure to it. Learning is a process that comes from conducting research, gathering information, interpreting the information, and coming to a conclusion. This is NOT how I was taught in school. My schools forced information from a single source and rewarded when that same information was returned. This would be great if students were parrots or sheep, but not if we expect an intelligent society. I suspect that little has changed.

 

 19. I believe that ignorant humans feel the need to make everyone interpret everything in a uniform way. I see it when evangelists destroy indigenous cultures. I see it when governments impose debt systems. I see it when marketing teams perform damage control to hide corporate wrongdoings. I see it when there is social acceptance for things that are blatantly destructive. I see it when governments use fear and oppression as tools while orchestrating and scripting a false perception of reality. I see it when parents become disappointed when their children follow a path that differs from their vision. 

 

20. I believe life should be a celebration of happiness and not a pursuit of happiness. You can lose whatever you can gain, so you need to re-learn to be happy as you are. Almost everyone improperly learns how they believe the world works, and it becomes a mental model; a box which contains them. It is rooted in “If/Then” statements where one has to struggle to do (something) to get (something) to be happy. People unhappily go through life struggling to satisfy these conditions.  Accept the universe as it is; don’t be inhibited and controlled by conditional situations which do not truthfully lead to happiness.

 

21. Social control/Orwellian/scripted: I feel that a large portion of American media is scripted prior to reaching our ears inorder to distract us from what the Government is doing.   

 

22. Decline of communication: texts, e-cards, lack of effort: People have become lazy and demand instant gratification. No one writes long emails or speaks on the phone for a long time any more. In-person socialization is on the decline.

 

23. Partisan trap: People tend to choose sides (Republican Conservative / Democrat Liberal) and fail to see the real issues or comprehend the best ways to solve them.

 

24. Global warming: why isn’t the topic about heat rejection? If global warming is real (which would make sense,) The answer is NOT to stop creating heat. Mammal bodies create heat and the world is covered with ever increasing numbers of humans and cows. Our industries, methods of locomotion, power generation, and HVAC systems ALL produce heat. This will not decline or go away. Shouldn't we be looking for a way to reject heat into space?  

 

25. I don't like walnuts. 

 

A great video that touches on many of my interests:

Mortgage advice

Mortgage advice

Even if your own brother is offering you a mortgage, it is wise to shop around. You didn’t buy the first car you looked at; you didn’t make an offer on the first house you saw. You should shop for your mortgage, too.  The mortgage can cost MORE than the house does, so this may be the most financially significant transaction of your life. It deserves MORE shopping than your house.

Your first decision is choosing the right TYPE of mortgage for you. This usually requires sitting down with a lender and discussing your situation. The monthly payment is important, but don’t let it distract you from the big picture; how much the loan will cost you over the life of the entire loan. (Interest and fees included.) Your credit rating and income will determine which types of loans you are eligible or qualify for, as well as the amount you can afford with each type of loan. You should be able to sit down and discuss this with a lender for no fee or obligation.

Qualifying for the mortgage is not the difficult part.  (Most charge $15.00 to $30.00 to run your credit report.)  Let the first lender who you feel comfortable with do this, and make sure you obtain a copy of the credit report. Having lenders run your credit too often will actually damage your credit, so you don’t want to do this too often. Let the lender know that you are shopping for the loan. This encourages them to give you a more competitive deal. After discussing your loan options, ask the lender to give you a “good faith estimate” in writing for whatever type(s) of mortgage you have decided on. This should include estimated closing costs, monthly fees, and APR (annual percentage rate.)

At this point you may have decided to go with the lender who you just sat down with. STILL SHOP AROUND! You don’t know if what you have is a good deal until you COMPARE it!

Shop by phone. Call lenders and ask for good faith estimates for the same type of loan that you have decided on. Keep all of the information you give to them consistent- you want to compare identical terms. Only provide the information they ask for.

Who do I call?

Savings and Loan Associations and banks: Usually they offer the lowest fees and lowest interest rates. They are the direct lender and they make their profit from the interest over the life of the loan.

Mortgage Brokers: The good news is they can select from various lenders to get the best loan for you. The bad news is that they are interested in their personal profit more than saving you money. Look out for origination fees, points and other charges. Unless you have a SERIOUS qualifying problem, I’d suggest dealing directly with a lender.

My advice: Call Banks who have home mortgage divisions. Interest rates fluctuate daily, so write a list and call them all the same day. If the lender tells you that they can’t guarantee a rate due to daily fluctuation, simply ask for the rate of the day; you want to compare fees from all the lenders. Don’t let anyone push you into an appointment without having provided you with a good faith estimate. Explain that you have been qualified and are shopping for lowest fees and comparing interest rates compared to the “daily prime rate.” 

Buying down interest rates: Points and Origination fees- are they worth it?

This depends how long you will live in or own your home. Statistically, the average first-time homebuyer stays less than 5 years. To determine savings, calculate the monthly payment both with and without the fees, then determine the “break even” point for the fees (the point when you will begin to see the savings of the lower interest rate.)  Will you still own the house at that time? The choice is yours.

I don't know if these guys still do mortgages, but they were worth a look in AZ. When I looked years ago, they managed your mortgage for the life of the loan instead of selling it. Harris Bank 951-4647    480-951-4619 Ross Shannon, Bob Withrspoon, Karen Ross’ assistant.     

FREE credit monitoring!

Thanks to our laws, Americans are entitled to one free copy of their credit report from EACH of the three credit bureaus per year.

Unfortunately most people don't know how easy they are to obtain and many people are foolish enough to pay for them or pay for scams like credit monitoring.

Here is the link to get them for free.

 

https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp

Since there are THREE major credit bureaus and you can get ONE free report from each bureau every 12 months, a good method is to request ONE report from a DIFFERENT bureau every four months. The website will tell you which ones you still have available to you for free. Simply request the next available report every four months. 

This technique is essentially monitoring your own credit for free. The credit reports themselves should not be very different but the credit scores may differ from each bureau and will change over time. If you notice unusual recent activity on one report or need to dispute something, it may warrant getting the others.

Your credit score is NOT included, but each credit bureau will offer to sell you your score. If you plan to make a major purchase or apply for additional credit or a loan in the next year, I'd suggest buying your credit score from only the bureau that most lenders in your area use. (Call your bank/lender and ask who they use.)    

Be sure to print them and examine them for errors!

Buzzed driving IS drunk driving!

Yes, I painstakingly wrote this. If it looks too long, skip to part II immediately.

“Buzzed driving is drunk driving” is a public service message that many of us laugh at because we have all done it. In October 2008 I parked my car in a bar’s parking lot and was stopped by a Police Officer on foot. I was arrested for suspicion of DUI. You rarely hear anyone tell you about getting a DUI because it comes with shame and embarrassment, especially since no one wants to be associated with anyone who caused an accident that killed someone.  Unfortunately those people’s shame does not let you learn from their mistake. That is why I chose to share this with you here- so you could learn from my mistake. If you want to call me an asshole for doing it in the first place, go ahead, but also ask around. I talked about my incident and found out that more than half of my friends and acquaintances have had a DUI but never discuss it until you mention it. I am sharing my shameful experience so that you may learn from my mistake and not repeat it. I wish everyone who has had a DUI would get over their shame and do the same.

I know DUI is wrong and I do believe it deserves punishment. In Arizona, A first-time DUI of above 0.08 (no prior within 5 years) has severely harsh consequences. At over 0.15 it is an extreme DUI with even worse consequences. Don’t believe what you hear about it taking a lot of drinking to reach 0.08- you’d be shocked to know how little alcohol it really takes. The Officers will ask you to go through field sobriety tests. If you refuse or do not pass you may be arrested. Your car may be towed away, resulting in you paying the impound fee and possibly storage fees to release it. You are brought to a precinct where you are interviewed and photographed. They take breath and or blood and release you to your contact person or a cab.
A 30-day suspension begins 15 days after your arrest. You may contest it since this is violates your right to a fair trial prior to punishment. If you do, you will then have a hearing at the Arizona Department of Transportation before an Administrative Law Judge.  This hearing is fact-finding only. If they conclude that there were reasonable grounds to believe you were driving while intoxicated they will order your license suspended for 90 days. After 30 days you are entitled to a “work permit” that permits you to drive only in relation to work.  At the end of the 90 days you must pay $75.00 to reinstate your license. Depending on who suspends your license (hearing or Justice Court) you may or may not require SR22 insurance after your suspension.
You will have to appear in Justice Court. Your Arraignment is your first appearance which takes place approximately a month after your arrest. They order you to go to the Sheriff to be fingerprinted and also set a date for you to return to court. On your second court appearance the Deputy District Attorney will usually present the evidence against you and offer a plea agreement. The standard first-time DUI plea agreement is 8 points on your license which triggers the aforementioned 3 month license suspension, 24 hours in jail, a jail fee, $1480.00 in fines.
With your first-time DUI conviction a breath interlock device will be placed on your car’s ignition for a year for approximately $100.00 and you may only operate interlocked vehicles. Every month you will need to bring the car in to be examined and pay a $20.00 fee. If you trigger the interlock device they will add time to the period it must remain on your vehicle. Obviously your car insurance will increase.
You may be assigned community service, and also will be forced to have a $60.00 drug screening followed by whatever “education” they assign you at your cost. The education usually is $135.00 and 16 hours of “classes.” I expected the classes to be videos of drunk driving accidents and having you sit through a victim’s panel where they make you feel like a bad dog. In reality the classes were a warning of what the legal and financial implications are for a second DUI, along with a commiseration group discussion regarding the impact on our lives caused by the moment in time that each of us were in front of a police officer with alcohol in our system while driving.  
The class explained that Arizona’s  zero tolerance law is written in such a way that if a sober person plows through a red light into your car and the responding Officer smells alcohol on your breath and you test at .02, you will be charged with “driving while impaired to the slightest degree” and the accident becomes YOUR FAULT. If the officer elected to take blood and they find traces of THC from marijuana you smoked three weeks earlier still in your system you will be charged with “driving while impaired to the slightest degree” and the accident becomes YOUR FAULT. The law does not consider the quantity of THC, just the presence.  Yes, I said you were just driving along and got hit.
 If you hire a lawyer to defend your DUI, the standard price is $4000.00. A Public Defender will cost $500.00 if you are poor enough to qualify for one. Public Defenders typically tell you to take the plea and offer no assistance at all. If you are unemployed you may submit a motion to reduce the Public Defender fine to $100.00. (I call it a fine because they never get your fee.)
Are the penalties currently in place in Arizona and many other states too harsh? Absolutely! There is no advocate for drinking and driving who argues to prevent these laws from passing. An easy way to see how out of proportion these laws are is in the driver’s license points system:
4 points: If you illegally pass a red light or stop sign and cause an accident.
6 points: If you illegally pass a red light or stop sign and cause an accident resulting in DEATH.
8 points: Any DUI charge. (no accident required)
Part II
Legal opinion with disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, so don’t interpret this to be the advice of a lawyer to you. Feel free to thank me if you follow this advice correctly. If you do not, do not sue me. First and foremost, don’t drive while impaired. If you think you can drink two beers and drive without any risk I suggest you buy yourself a reliable breathalyzer (Alcohawk or Bactrack) and use it prior to driving every time you have had a drink. This expense is a small price by comparison to any Police charge.
When you accept the privilege to drive in Arizona, you automatically give consent to a breath (tabletop; NOT hand held,) blood or urine test at the request of a Police Officer who has reason to believe you are driving under the influence of liquor or drugs. It is called the “Implied Consent Law.”  If you refuse this consent you likely will be restrained as they take a blood sample. Your license will be suspended for a year on top of whatever charges they pursue with the sample they take. Remember, this is the ONLY legal obligation you have to the Officers with regard to drinking and driving.
During a traffic stop you need to know your rights and not be afraid to assert them. The officer is not your friend during a traffic stop; they are attempting to build a case against you. It may be difficult to remember your rights during a traffic stop especially if you are impaired at all, but this is exactly when you need to remember and assert your rights. If you see those lights in your rear view mirror that cause your stomach to drop to the floor, find the nearest place to safely pull over and allow room for the Police car to pull over behind you. Shut off your engine and lights. Lower your window no more than two inches and keep your hands on the steering wheel in plain view. Lowering your window more is an invitation for the officer to deliberately smell your breath. No matter what the situation is, if the Officer asks you if you had anything to drink or if you used any substances, the correct answer is “no, officer.” An admission of guilt is never going to help you despite your wanting to be honest. Never tell a Police Officer anything that incriminates you or anyone else unless you are trying to incriminate that person. Remember, the law is zero tolerance, not 0.08%. One beer is no longer legal and admitting to one beer is probable cause to continue the investigation further.
 If the Officer asks you to step out of the vehicle you can safely assume they plan to attempt to build a case against you. They should begin by asking you if you have any injuries or ailments which could affect the outcome of their tests. At this point you should tell them about your fake leg, how this is the first time you wore high heels in your life and/or if you experienced a concussion last week. 
If they suspect alcohol they typically open with a Horizontal Gaze test if the Officer is certified to administer this test. You legally do not have to consent to this or any field sobriety test. Simply stating that you do not consent to any field testing will shut them down from this stage of gathering evidence. If you believe you are not impaired and foolishly decide to allow the test, be aware that the results rely entirely on the Officer’s word as formulated in writing later at the time they press charges. You have no direct defense to their findings AT ALL. There are no set controls to the test and the Officer can describe what they saw however they see fit. If the Officer progresses to a second field sobriety test you can assume you did not pass the first test. Now (again) is the time to refuse this test and any further testing.  If you are approached with a hand-held breathalyzer you should refuse this as well. This is NOT the breathalyzer that you are required to blow into by the Implied Consent law. Remember, these tests and devices are all used to build evidence against you. Refusing will never look as bad as a test that supplies evidence against you!
As soon as the Officer initiated the traffic stop the arrest stage was entered. Even before your Miranda warning was given, anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. Keep in mind, anything you say that proves your innocence will be forgotten entirely and will not help you. Your right to remain silent is always your best bet.
If the Officer decides to pursue charges, the next step taken is normally the arrest phase where they transport you to a place to gather physical evidence. Normally this is the time where they will give you the Miranda warning. You should now request to speak to a lawyer in private before continuing and you should refuse to answer any questions. By doing this, the officer must provide you with a phone and allow you to up to two hours from the time of arrest before they will force you to comply with gathering of physical evidence. It is possible that this two hour delay will allow your blood alcohol to either increase or to decrease depending on when you drank and how much you drank. If your request for a lawyer is denied, this helps you. If they refuse you privacy during the call, this helps you. (This is how I was granted a reckless driving plea instead of a DUI; ref. Holland vs. Arizona)    
As I already stated, the Implied Consent law says the Officer may gather breath, blood or urine at their discretion based on reasonable suspicion by their interpretation. A refusal of any of these is an immediate suspension of your license for one year. Further, the Officer can get a court order by phone with a judge to allow them to force you to consent to this, at which time you will be violently restrained. Always consent to only these tests, but be aware of the potential two hour stall you may cause and the rules that you can set them up to potentially break (not granting call, privacy.)
After you are released you should IMMEDIATELY go to a doctor or hospital and request that they pull blood immediately. Simply having the hospital store two vials for you to have tested later is ideal. This is the only opportunity you will have to preserve evidence in your behalf that the Police do not have access to. This is especially important if they took a breath reading that was a little over a legal limit or if you gave any other sample. If you did not yet call a lawyer, calling while on the way to the hospital would be the last worthwhile time. 

We are NOT a Christian nation!

US Paper money between 1776 -1955 (179 years) did not have the phrase "In God we trust" on it. This was added in 1955 by then Secretary of the Treasury, George W. Humphrey and approved by President Eisenhower.

 

US Coins between 1776-1864 (88 years) did not have the phrase "In God we trust" on them. This was added in 1864 by then Secretary of the Treasury Salmon P. Chase and approved by Congress.

 

The original pledge of Allegiance as written in 1892 and recited for 62 years did not contain the phrase "under God". In 1954 this phrase was added by the Knights of Columbus and approved by President Eisenhower.

 

The entire US Constitution does not contain the word "God." The US Constitution does not define religion; not even in the First Amendment, which bars the Federal Government from interfering with religion in the United States. Article VI, states that "no religious Test shall ever be required as Qualification" for federal office holders.

 

The oath taken by the President of the United States is Article II, Section 1 of the US Constitution. It does NOT contain "So help me God", which has been added verbally by most modern Presidents.

 

The Declaration of Independence uses "God" only once. It is in a God of nature or "mother earth" sense.
Quote: "When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitles them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."
 

The Declaration of Independence once uses the phrase "Divine Providence" without definition. A common definition is "The cooperation of nature with everything that happens."   Every religion has its own interpretation of this phrase.

Many of the more prominent Founding Fathers were vocal about their opposition to organized religion or anti-clerical. Some of them often related their anti-organized church leanings in their speeches and correspondence, including George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.
First President George Washington was a religious man and expressed this in his National Thanksgiving Proclamations. He enforced the separation between Church & State and made no impositions on Americans with regard to religion during his Presidency. A bill was proposed which would have the government impose a levy "towards the support of that which [religion] they profess." On October 3rd, 1785, Washington wrote a letter to George Mason concerning this bill. He stated that though he is not opposed to the concept of membership to a faith requiring payment, it is unwise to impose religious matters by law. (Library of Congress)
Quote:"I think it will be productive of more quiet to the State, than by enacting it into a Law; which, in my opinion, would be impolitic…"
 

During Washington's Presidency, US ships were falling victim to pirates off the coast of Tripoli (now Libya.) A twelve-article treaty with the Muslim nation was drafted to arrange payment in exchange for safe passage of US ships in their waters and peace.  To help dispel basis for a religious war, this treaty included the wording: "Article 11. As the government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian Religion..." The Treaty of Tripoli was unanimously ratified by the Senate, then signed into law and proclaimed to the Nation by second President John Adams on June 10, 1797. That same month, "The Gazette" newspaper published the entire treaty including article 11. There was no public outcry or even a letter to the editor in disagreement. 

As early as 1802, religious groups began questioning the intent of the Separation of Church and State. The Danbury Baptists wrote to Founding Father and third President Thomas Jefferson when they felt discriminated by their Congregationalist controlled state government and feared that their minority could threaten their freedoms. Thomas Jefferson responded in a letter (Which is on record with the U.S. Library of Congress) 

Quote: "Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."

James Madison, fourth President and the principal drafter of the United States Bill of Rights wrote the following in the document: "Backgrounder on the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom" (Which is on file with the US State Department)  

Quote: "... no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinion in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish enlarge, or affect their civil capacities."

Thomas Jefferson designed the campus of the University of Virginia. On August 4, 1818, Jefferson outlined the proper curriculum for the first second nonreligious public institution for higher education. His proposed branches of study emphasized languages, mathematics, the natural sciences, and law. He did not include religion, its teachings or its rituals whatsoever. (In the collection of  the University of Virginia Library) [Edit: President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation establishing the United States Military Academy in 1802, making it the first nonreligious public school of higher education.]