Brian Sadler is fan of Oakmont Green Golf Course near Hampstead, so the Liberty High School senior was raring to go for Fridays season-opening tournament that featured players from all seven county schools.

Sadler, the reigning Times Player of the Year, was in good position to earn medalist honors after playing 12 holes at even-par. Thats when the thunderstorms broke through and suspended play at Oakmont, with Sadler and his playing partners in the fairway on the first hole.

During the delay, the county coaches met and decided there wouldnt be enough light remaining in the day to finish the tournament, with some groups still needing to finish anywhere from 7-9 holes.

The tourney was washed out and wont count.

I was playing really solid golf, Sadler said. It sucks. I thought we would go back out, but you cant control the weather.

Sadler played solid golf last fall as a junior, leading Liberty to a 17-3 record (5-1 in the county) and a spot in the Class 2A-1A state tournament. He averaged 38.9 per nine holes, the lowest in Carroll all season. He fired a 73 at the 2A-1A District I tournament, and the Lions won it to qualify for states.

He felt good about his chances to win the county tournament he took medalist honors as a sophomore in 2015, playing for North Carroll on a course he describes as good for his iron game.

Then came an 81, 9-over par. Sadler and the Lions finished second to county champion Winters Mill.

It was surprising that day, just to how I had played the whole season before it, Sadler said. And I really like Oakmont. That has kind of driven me since that day. Just focus on putting, because my putting that day was atrocious. It gave me some motivation to work on my putting, and putting is probably my favorite thing to work on now.

Putting helped Sadler throughout the summer, he said, and the effort showed in some of his tournaments. Like the annual Bobby Gorin match-play tourney late last month at Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, where Sadler was the 15th seed out of 16 players and reached the semifinals.

He finished tied for third place.

On Friday, Sadler cobbled together his share of pars and had one bogey and one birdie, a two-putt on the par-5 10th hole (Sadlers group started on No. 7) after he reached the green in two. His bogey came on 18, which dropped him to even with six holes remaining.

Today I came in, I really wanted redemption from [the county tournament] last year, Sadler said. I really wanted to put an emphasis on having a good start, and I did that.

Libertys season begins Wednesday with a tri-match against Hereford and Towson at River Downs, the Lions home course. Two days later, they face county rivals Century and South Carroll at Links at Challedon.

Much like he wanted to do Friday, Sadler said a hot start to the season should keep Liberty in contention for the county championship.

Coach [Paul] Bangle has really put an emphasis on just trying to have fun this year, Sadler said. Hes such a great coach for that. He lets us have fun out at practice, at the same time still putting in hard work and trying to shoot good scores. But Im looking forward to my senior season.

I have goals for myself that I want to achieve, and I also, at the same time, want to have fun.

pat.stoetzer@carrollcountytimes.com

410-857-7894

twitter.com/carrollvarsity

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Golf: Liberty's Sadler seeking 'redemption' this fall - Carroll County Times

Authorities believe the vehicle that hit and killed a 56-year-old man and fled the Lauderdale Lakes scene was a Jeep Liberty.

It was likely a 2002 through 2007 model and should have front-end damage, said Keyla Concepcion, a spokeswoman for the Broward Sheriffs Office.

Anthony Presley was trying to cross West Oakland Park Boulevard in the middle of the 3400 block when he was hit about 1 a.m. Sunday, she said.

Presley had no known address, Concepcion said.

The vehicle was heading west in the far-left lane when it hit Presley, who was walking southbound, she said.

The vehicle would have damage to the bumper and headlight on the drivers side and possibly the hood.

Investigators urge anyone with information about the fatal hit-and-run to contact Detective Michael Kelliher at 954-321-4845. Anonymous tips can be made to Broward Crimestoppers at 954-493-8477 or online at http://www.browardcrimestoppers.org.

Tips that lead to an arrest are eligible for a reward of up to $3,000.

tealanez@sun-sentinel.com, 954-356-4542 or Twitter @talanez

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Police search for Jeep Liberty involved in deadly hit-and-run - Sun Sentinel

Community Report, cadvocate@hcnonline.com

The Liberty County Historical Commission recently completed a book on the countys historic churches. The books are being sold for $8 per copy.

The Liberty County Historical Commission recently completed a book on the countys historic churches. The books are being sold for $8 per copy.

Historians compile book on Liberty County churches

After a year of compiling, writing and editing, the Liberty County Historical Commission is nearly ready to begin selling its new book titled "Historic Churches of Liberty County." Beginning Sept. 10, the book will be offered for $8 per copy.

An event to sell the books will be held on Sept. 10, 1 to 3 p.m, at the A.J. "Jack" Hartel Building, 318 San Jacinto St., Liberty. Anyone wanting to buy a copy is encouraged to attend. Copies also will be donated to all public libraries in the county.

According to a statement from the historical commission, churches in Liberty County that are over 50 years old are included. The Commission asked all churches that qualified as "historic" to submit any printed or oral histories along with any early photographs for inclusion in this book. An LCHC committee was formed to gather these materials, edit and compile this book.

"Much to our amazement, there were numerous churches in our county which had been continuously active for more than 150 years, some more than 175 years. Early churches were the backbone of most communities, particularly in rural areas and often the first structure built even before permanent homes," the statement reads. "Many times, families fathered together in a newly formed community under temporary structures known as 'brush arbors.' These coverings were roughly constructed from trees, vines and twigs to protect worshipers from inclement weather. Social interaction among neighbors and families was centered around the community church."

These early churches in Liberty County included many denominations: Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Episcopalian, Lutheran and others. These histories tell stories of the early settlers in our county and the struggles of black churches after emancipation.

"The Liberty County Historical Commission feels it is our duty and obligation to preserve and safeguard the history of our county for future generations. In publishing 'Historic Churches of Liberty County, Texas,' we hope we have achieved the goal of preserving the rich heritage of this very important part of our history," the statement reads.

For more information, call LCHC Chair Linda Jamison at 936-334-5813 or email lchc318@gmail.com.

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Historians compile book on Liberty County churches - Chron.com

WEST LIBERTY Incoming West Liberty Superintendent Joseph Potts has an unusual career arc, starting in higher education and spanning K-12 education in several states.

But after his years away, the Dubuque native wanted to return to his home state. On Aug. 1, he replaced outgoing superintendent Steve Hanson, who retired after six years in the district and 40 years in education.

In an interview Friday, Potts said his career has almost always involved diverse student bodies, an experience that would serve him well as he guides the 1,400-student school district the most diverse district in the area. West Liberty was the first town in the state of Iowa to achieve a majority Latino population, 52 percent according to the 2010 Census, and the district reflects that.

Potts most recently served as principal of Kentlake High School in Kent, Washington, a diverse district in its own right. Its students speak a collective 138 languages.

Potts said he chose to go into education because he enjoys people.

The happiest times I have ever experienced in my career that I can really work and help people, students, teachers, administrators, he said. If I can be of service to people, I feel that I am doing what I should do.

But a people person can go anywhere and choose almost any career path, from Human Resources to Ministry. Potts credits his career choice to his family both his parents and his grandmother were educators.

Both his mom and grandmother taught in a one-room schoolhouse, where the teachers were the school and eight grade levels learned together as one.

Back then, teachers wore all hats. They taught and disciplined, effectively serving as teacher and principal. At one point, according to the Iowa State Historical Society, almost 14,000 such schools operated, but most of them were closed in the 1960s when new laws mandated the creation of school districts.

My mom talks about her last class in that one-room schoolhouse and she talks about how she had the honor of teaching so many really high performing professionals attorneys, doctors and so on, he said.

In essence, Potts family encompasses the shifts in Iowas education culture. A culture now marked by assessments, specialized roles such as instructional coaches and para-educators and a push toward evidence-based teaching practices. Potts said most of these changes have been positive.

Were really learning how kids learn and how to teach better so that a diversity of children can succeed, he said. So most of it is really focusing our attention on practices and innovations and interventions that actually makes a difference and help kids.

State standards, for example, he said, are a good way of creating consistency between school districts, unifying the quality of education. But technology, while helpful in some applications, can create distractions in the classroom.

Potts said he has been familiarizing himself with the district since hes come on board a couple of weeks ago. The real work will begin next week when students return from their summer vacation. Some of the things the district will have to face in the coming years, he said, are facility upgrades and upkeep and a happy problem unlike many districts in the area, who are struggling with declining enrollment, the West Liberty School District projects that its enrollment will increase by about 100 students.

With it, Potts said, the district may face some challenges in accommodating the students, though Potts stresses that the district is perfectly capable of handling the influx of students at the moment.

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Meet West Liberty Schools' new superintendent - Muscatine Journal

The Bowling Green Falcons adds a third date to their 2020 out-of-conference schedule and their first 2023 date with the addition of the Liberty Flames.

The dates were announced as part of a schedule reveal released by Liberty University Wednesday afternoon. Bowling Green has yet to release an official confirmation, but does list the games on its future schedules page and Twitter feed.

According to Liberty Universitys release, BGSU will host Liberty in 2020, and then make a return trip to Lynchburg, Virginia in 2023.

BGSU has one more spot to fill for the 2020 season, as the Falcons currently have Ohio State and Illinois on the schedule. The Falcons will have to flesh out their 2023 schedules, as Liberty is their only current opponent scheduled.

The scheduling is interesting for a number of reasons. Liberty football is currently a member of the FCS Big South Conference and are in the midst of transitioning to full FBS membership, where it will be a post-season eligbile independent starting in 2019.

The Flames first season at the FBS level will be in 2018, although they are ineligbile to go to the postseason, as per transtional requirements.

LIberty football is also coached by Turner Gill, who came to prominence at MAC member Buffalo before flaming out at Kansas.

The Flames have done a masterful job thus far in its FBS scheduling, with expected home-and-homes scheduled with Duke, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, BYU, Syracuse, UMass and Old Dominion. Bowling Green will be Libertys second add from the MAC, with Buffalo already on the schedule for 2019 and 2023.

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BGSU, Liberty schedule home-and-home football series - Hustle Belt (blog)

PITTSBURGH

PennDOT District 11 is announcing the closure of the Liberty Bridge and the inbound Liberty Tunnel in the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, will occur Friday night, August 18 through Monday morning, August 21 weather permitting.

The Liberty Bridge in both directions and the inbound (northbound) Liberty Tunnel will close to traffic from 8 p.m. Friday night continuously through 5 a.m. Monday morning. Crews will conduct latex overlay operations on the Liberty Bridge. Concrete patching work will occur in the inbound Liberty Tunnel.

The outbound Liberty Tunnel and PJ McArdle Roadway will remain open the entire weekend. All other traffic will be detoured during the closure.

Posted Detours

Inbound Liberty Tunnel

Outbound Liberty Bridge from Downtown Pittsburgh

Outbound Liberty Bridge from Westbound Route 885 (Boulevard of the Allies)

Outbound Liberty Bridge from Route 380 (Bigelow Boulevard)

Outbound Liberty Bridge from I-279 Parkway North

The $80.08 million Liberty Bridge Rehabilitation Project includes deck replacement and ramp reconstruction, structural steel repairs, painting of the entire structure, concrete repairs, signage improvements and installation of a new alternating overhead lane control system. The project will continue into 2018. The Joseph B. Fay Company is the prime contractor.

The inbound Liberty Tunnel closure is part of the $30.27 million final phase of tunnel rehabilitation work which includes roadway pavement rehabilitation, the addition of safety and control systems, air monitoring upgrades, a fire suppression system and CCTV installation. Additionally, extensive renovation of the fan house including replacing eight fan units, replacing all electrical equipment, concrete repairs, roof and drainage repairs, and retaining wall erection.

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Liberty Bridge and Inbound Liberty Tunnel closures scheduled for August 18-21 - WTAE Pittsburgh

Photo: For The Intelligencer

The trees at Liberty Apple Orchard, just outside of Edwardsville.

The trees at Liberty Apple Orchard, just outside of Edwardsville.

Liberty Apple Orchard set to open

Liberty Apple Orchard, a U-Pick orchard located just east of Edwardsville, will be opening for its fifth season Aug. 21 at 3 p.m.

Throughout the apple season, the orchard offers 13 varieties of apples and provides a unique family-fun, educational opportunity with its replica one-room schoolhouse on site.

New this season, the orchard will be offering additional products from local farmers as well as be expanding its hours.

Steve Miller, who cares for the orchard with his wife Lugene, was looking forward to the orchards season opening on Aug. 21, which occurs just after the solar eclipse. In response to suggestions from our guests, we have expanded our hours and will offer additional products from local farmers, Steve Miller said.

Liberty Apple Orchard will be open for U-pick guests from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sundays and after school from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays. On Labor Day, Sept. 4, the orchard will be open from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

In addition, beginning this year, Liberty Apple Orchard will offer apple butter and honey from local producers as well as cider in early September and pumpkins in late September from local farmers.

Sweet Gala and Jonathan apples will be the first varieties ready for picking. Then by early September, McIntosh, Blondee, Empire, and Cortland apples will be available, followed by Liberty and Fuji varieties. In October, Braeburn, Enterprise, Candycrisp, Gold Rush, and Granny Smith will be available for picking.

Getting through the growing season and on to the apple picking season takes much TLC every year. The orchard employed nine EHS and Metro-East (Lutheran) High School students this past winter to assist with pruning. The work commenced in December and continued until early February, Steve Miller explained.

The Feb. 28 hail storm damaged some of the apple trees as hail of up to two inches pelted the orchard. On March 15 - the dreaded Ides of March - temperatures fell to 16 degrees and, based on earlier university studies, we thought that we would lose many varieties for this season, especially the Braeburn and Granny Smith buds that were well developed. To the surprise of the University of Illinois Extension staff, the trees survived quite well through the cold spell, Steve Miller noted.

Liberty Apple Orchard is located at 8308 Kuhn Station Road in Edwardsville in a rural setting yet not far from Glen Carbon, Troy and Highland. From the Meyer YMCA in Edwardsville, go east on Goshen Road approximately 2 miles, turn right on Staunton Road, cross the bike trail, and turn left on Kuhn Station Road. Liberty Orchard is down the road about one-fourth of a mile on the right.

When turning down the Liberty Orchard drive, the Liberty schoolhouse immediately comes into view. Liberty School consists of a store with fresh picked apples and childrens books, apple cooking books, and apple-inspired greeting cards. The interior design of Liberty School picks up motifs from schools of 100 years ago, including a chalkboard around the ceiling, presidential photos, books and an original, refinished schoolhouse desk.

The orchard with its apple picking and schoolhouse provides a unique, family-fun experience. The orchard is well mowed, easily accessible from our drive and ideal for photos of your family," Lugene Miller pointed out.

The Millers objectives are to provide high quality local fresh fruit, an educational experience for children and families, and community participation and outreach.

As part of this goal, the orchard offers opportunities for class or groups to call and schedule field trips to pick apples and learn about growing an apple orchard, fundraisers for youth groups, mission groups, or schools, and a source of healthy snacks for fall festival/Halloween celebrations.

Just as in the past four years, Liberty Apple Orchard will continue to serve local food banks in Madison County communities as part of its community outreach. In 2016, the orchard delivered over 12,000 pounds of apples to 12 regional food banks. Food banks typically have canned and boxed processed food available, but little if any fresh fruit, Steve Miller pointed out. We are especially thankful for the many volunteers who picked thousands of pounds of apples at Liberty Apple Orchard in 2016 to serve children and families at regional food banks.

Many church and civic groups volunteered including St. Boniface eighth graders, Trinity Lutheran Church, Girl Scout Troop 559, EHS Student Council, EHS EPIC, Urban Harvest, Immanuel United Methodist Church, Mt. Joy Church and many others, he added. The apples were delivered from September through December and include most of the 13 varieties grown on the orchard.

Also in its 2016 community outreach, Liberty Apple Orchard hosted a fund raiser for the St. Vincent de Paul Society. This organization, supported by St. Boniface, St. Marys and St. Cecilia Church, provides rent and utilities assistance to those in need in the Edwardsville school district.

While many enjoy visiting the orchard for its local U-Pick opportunity, Liberty Apple Orchard's produce is also available at the Land of Goshen Farmer's Market in Edwardsville on Saturday mornings and some local grocery stores.

For further information on the ripening schedule and times and dates for special events, follow Liberty Apple Orchard on Facebook or visit its website at http://www.libertyappleorchard.com. Call (618) 659-9217 for other questions or to schedule a group field trip.

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Liberty Apple Orchard set to open - The Edwardsville Intelligencer

One team has has established itself as one of the top programs in the state, while another has shown it can compete consistently at the highest level. Two other teams had breakthrough seasons last year, and are looking to build on them.

Benedictine, Liberty County, Jenkins and Savannah High caught the imagination of high school football fans across the Coastal Empire last year and the teams cant wait to get their seasons started.

In his seventh year at the helm at Benedictine, Danny Britt is looking to follow up on a perfect season as the Cadets rolled through Class 2A beating Fitzgerald handily in the title game for the GHSA state championship and finishing 15-0.

The title run came two years after Britt led the Cadets to their first football crown, also in Class 2A in 2014 when they beat Greater Atlanta Christian in the championship game.

Britt (66-14 through six seasons at BC) is stressing that this season has nothing to do with last years success.

Trying to do the same thing we did last season, going undefeated, is virtually impossible, Britt said. But we never come into a season setting a certain number of wins or a championship as a goal. We have more internal goals like how we run practice every day, and who is going to become our leaders. That way we can always be successful and improve every day.

Britt said that his goal when he started at Benedictine was to build a program rather than a team.

In essence that was the big picture of what I wanted to accomplish when I got here, Britt said. I wanted the freshmen who entered BC to grow as a player and a person in their four years here. I wanted something that was year-round and consistent so we could develop and grow.

With a senior class featuring quarterback Nick Iannone, running backs Terrick Smalls and Travis Blackshear and free safety Jonah Griffin, the Cadets are stacked and ready to make another playoff run.

Libertys legacy

Liberty County has been on the way up the last few years under Kirk Warner, who enters his 16th year leading the Panthers. Last season, Liberty County advanced to the Class 3A quarterfinals, losing to Greater Atlanta Christian in triple overtime to end the year. The Panthers have posted a 19-6 record in the last two years and developed stars such as Raekwon McMillan, who went on to Ohio State and is now a rookie with the Miami Dolphins, and Richard LeCounte, now a freshman at Warners alma mater of Georgia.

The No. 1 key to our success is that we have been blessed with some excellent players, but I think another factor has been our coaching staff, Warner said. We have had a lot of stability there and not much turnover. I think our staff does a great job keeping our kids on track in school with their academics as well as working well with them on the field. Its twofold, we have the talent and we have the coaches to push the players to be the best they can be.

The talent train keeps rolling into Hinesville at the Liberty County Station. Defensive tackle Tramel Walthour looks to carry on the tradition McMillan and LeCounte created of top national recruits. DE Traveon Freeman and DB Josh Washington will also be standouts along with running back/receiver Kris Coleman.

Jenkins and Savannah gave public school fans something to cheer about last year on the football field in addition to the basketball court, where the city schools have traditionally excelled. And both schools have new coaches this year.

Back at Jenkins

Jason Cameron, 31, takes over at Jenkins. The New Jersey native was the offensive coordinator for the Warriors for five seasons before stepping away last year. Hes back after veteran coach Tim Adams took an assistant coaching job at Effingham County, leading a team that includes some top-notch talent including wide receiver Tyrone Scott, quarterback Javonte Middleton and linebacker Kareem Bailey.

It was s a great experience working with coach Adams and Ive played for and worked with a number of excellent coaches, Cameron said. Im going to take some of the things I have learned from them and add in my own style and mesh it together.

Were coming into the season with high expectations, but were setting our goals on a day-to-day basis. We want to win each day in the weight room, each rep in practice and move on from there.

Last year, the Warriors edged Savannah High 21-20 and won their first region crown since 1966. They went on to beat Dougherty County in the first round for the first postseason win in school history.

Milestones for SHS

Savannah High had a similar breakthrough last year under coach Tony Welch. The Blue Jackets went 9-3, making the playoffs for the first time since 1993 and winning a postseason game for the first time since 1969.

Welch left after three seasons to take the same post at his alma mater, Claxton. David Roberson, 31, a former assistant at Lithia Springs and player at Savannah State, is now in charge.

Roberson has a strong group of returning athletes including Region 3-3A player of the year Malik Nesbitt and quarterback Dezmond Brinson, who recently received a scholarship offer from Cornell. The Blue Jackets picked up a big-time player in Fred Nunn, a linebacker/fullback who transferred from Benedictine.

We have a lot of guys coming back, so were not going to try to reinvent the wheel, Roberson said. Were going to try to accentuate on the positive things we did last year. We worked on some deficiencies that we had. But these kids have been in this system for three years. They are comfortable with it. Were going to introduce a few new formations, but were also going to stick with the things that we did well.

The big date on the Savannah High schedule is Oct. 20, when the Blue Jackets face Jenkins at Memorial Stadium in a rematch of last years classic. They also will host Claxton and coach Welch on Sept. 1 at Memorial.

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Benedictine, Liberty Co., Jenkins and Savannah High construct programs for long-term success - Savannah Morning News

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Liberty Tunnel overnight closures to continue through Thursday - Tribune-Review

HINESVILLE, Ga. (WSAV) The Liberty County branch of the NAACP and the Liberty County Minority Chamber held a Peace Initiative on Tuesday Aug. 15 in Hinesville.

The event was held in response to the deadly rally in Charlottesville. In a letter to community leaders, the NAACP said the prayer vigil was to let the people of Liberty County know they stand for peace and unity. The letter went on to say while the event wont completely stop the nations issues, it does show willingness to come together.

Graylan Quarterman, president of the Liberty County NAACP said, They did not ask for the tragedy or the folks that came to their community to divide their community. They could easily get on a plane on a train or a bus and come to our community and try to divide us. But as long as we continue to have the conversation that unity is important and sympathizing with those who are less fortunate than us we will stay strong in Liberty County.

The Liberty County NAACP will also hold a mass community meeting to discuss race, religion and politics. That meeting will take place next Sunday, Aug. 27 at 6 p.m. at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church.

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Liberty County joins together for Peace Initiative - WSAV-TV

LIBERTY CENTER Tuesdays Liberty Center Village Council meeting marked the end of an era for fiscal officer Sally McEwen. It was the last council meeting in her 33-year career, and Friday is her last day in office.

The office of clerk-treasurer was an elected position when McEwen began with the village. In 2002, a new state law gave municipalities the option of appointing a fiscal officer rather than have the elected office. Liberty Center made the switch, and McEwen was hired. Her retirement plans include spending more time with her grandchildren.

Kris Carico, current water clerk, has been chosen to follow McEwen in the fiscal officer position.

Marissa Dooley was approved at Tuesdays meeting as the new water clerk. Caricos position is effective Friday, Dooleys will begin tomorrow.

Moving on, council approved an increase in appropriations of $2,500 for the cemetery fund. Mayor Max Fetterman said the increase reflects the amount of work being done there.

Fetterman also announced that Mosquito Dunks have been made available for distribution at the village offices. Placed in standing water, the dunks are said to kill mosquito larvae for 30 days or more.

He also advised that village residents may notice replacement work on some radio read water meters. Meters marked with either blue flags or blue paint have been damaged, allowing standing water in the pits, and are being replaced at no cost to the village.

In village projects, Fetterman said the application process for the Issue II funding for improvements on Young Street, Edison Lane, and West Cherry Street is moving forward. He also discussed the need for a sewer vac, which is considered by village workers to be more useful than a backhoe. It is costly, with used units at $50,000 and a new unit at $300,000 or more.

Henry County CIC has requested a meeting Aug. 23 at 3 p.m. with all township and village officials.

Originally posted here:

Liberty Center fiscal officer retires - Defiance Crescent News (subscription)

Writing at the Niskanen Center, Samuel Hammond has some harsh words for libertarians. Its a short step, he says, from anti-statism to some particularly ugly forms of nationalism:

The appeal of white nationalism to libertarian anti-statists should not be surprising. After all, nationalist and revanchist movements have historically represented powerful tools for mobilizing secession and other forms of political resistance to the state. Their common cause is all the stronger in multicultural, liberal democracies where ethnic grievances can be called upon to portray the state less as a political compact between competing groups, and more as tyrannical sovereign infringing on some sub-groups right to self-determination.

To the extent that hes right about this, thats pretty embarrassing. Hammond cites AnCap YouTube to argue that there have been all too many who took this path. Im not sure that its fair to judge anyone else by AnCap YouTube, although his judgment on some of them is certainly correct.

Other parts of his essay I think are quite wrong: Its not necessarily crazy or evil to think that the state should be at least somewhat congruent to the nation. That proposition does not necessarily entail ethnonationalism, and certainly doesnt when I assert it. A nation, as an imagined community, need not be ethnic at all. A pluralist nation may include people of many different ethnicities, religions, and other affiliations. The American nation has always been pluralist in its aspirations. Throughout our history we have increasingly delivered on the promise of pluralism, not just to favored groups, but to all. That work should continue, and if saying you too are a part of this nation can help with the task, then we should say it loudly and often.

Hammond also claims that liberty needs the state. On this point I am sure that the Niskanen Center will get the usual howls of protest from exactly the people who should be the least surprised. Of course the Niskanen Center would say something like this. But is it true?

Its clearly correct to say, with Hammond, that in many cases state sabotage automatically empowers the most dominant and dominating subgroups in our otherwise open society, its much less clear that this must always be the case.

The way forward for radical libertarians and others who dream of a stateless (or just a less state-dominated) society consists of figuring out how to manage these tendencies toward domination, so that when the state does retreat, it is individual that liberty advances, rather than some other form of unjust domination.

I dont know quite to what extent the project can succeed. But I think its reasonable to expect that we can enjoy a much smaller state than the one we have right now. Reasonably as well, this development could leave the vast majority of citizens, and particularly the least well off, better off by a range of widely acceptable criteria. What seems in order is not a broad declaration for or against the state, but a constant and relentless tinkering on the margins, with the aim of delivering less arbitrary domination of one person or group by another. Racial groups most certainly included.

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Does Liberty Need the State? - Cato Institute (blog)

Liberty Cheesesteaks throws open its doors at a new, bigger location just steps from the original this Wednesday with an expanded menu, more seating, televisions for Saints and Eagles games, and ros on tap. Liberty Cheesesteaks new home is at the corner Freret and Soniat Streets, in the former home of La Nuit Comedy Theatre.

Owners Michael Casey (a Philly native) and Joseph Sereme debuted the tiny cheesesteak hub on Freret Street in 2013, in what had also been the incubator home of the first Dat Dog, with only eight seats. That location closed on July 20.

The new space is equipped with three times as many seats, eight barstools inside, as well as a few seats outside. The bar has five beer taps and a dedicated ros tap.

Additionally, sports fans can watch Saints and Eagles games on five flatscreen televisions equipped with all the sports packages.

The menu will go through more subtle changes. The restaurant plans to roll out a new menu item monthly over the next eight months. As the team introduces and tests the popularity of new items, itll phase out less popular ones from the menu.

Manager Stephan Belle hinted that, while no more major expansions are planned at this time, the Tulane stadium may be getting cheesesteaks soon.

Opening hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

5031 Freret Street, New Orleans, LA 70115

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Liberty Cheesesteaks Re-opens Tomorrow in New, Larger Spot - Eater New Orleans

Liberty, which won the programs first Division I section title over Clovis West in a sweep last November, not only returns head coach Amy Parker, but the Patriots have four starters returning, led by Oregon commit Elise Ferreira. The Patriots also added Lanie Camarillo, a transfer from Frontier at outside hitter.

The addition of Camarillo helps ease the loss of Brooklynn Cheney, the 2016 BVarsity Player of the Year.

It helps a lot. Those are huge shoes to fill, Parker said.

Ferreira, who committed to Oregon in July, will move to her more natural position at setter after playing mainly outside hitter the last two years for Liberty.

I would do anything for my team. I hit for my team for two straight years, Ferreira said. No one has really got to see me set, and thats what Im going to college for. But I am very excited for everyone to see my role at my position. Thats my thing.

Ferreira does take a lot away from playing on the outside that has helped her setting game.

I got to see from their perspective on how to, as a setter, make my hitters better, Ferreira said. Seeing that role helped me as a setter. But now I am excited for everyone to see what I have worked so hard for on the court this year.

The Southwest Yosemite League will continue to be the power league in town in the sport.

Stockdale, coached by Maria Collatz, returns starters Maci Haddad, Natalie Coday and setter Sydney Richardson.

The three other SWYL teams in action on Monday all are talented teams with new coaches.

BHS, under Ashely Wires, returns Ava and Sophie Palm while Penny Roberts takes over at Centennial with returning starters Alexus McLeod, Mikaela Eknoian and Kendall Yanez.

Morgan Dake takes over at Frontier, a team led by senior Penelope Zepeda.

Tehachapi went 10-0 in the South Yosemite League and will return three starters for new coach Rachel Wulff.

The Warriors return SYL MVP Paige Parker, Mady Cotta and Lauren Nousch in a league that is wide open with Ridgeview, Independence and East.

I like that we are pretty equal, Ridgeview coach Deb Whitbey said. Its anyones league.

Highland, the Southeast Yosemite League champions last fall, graduated the teams top two hitters, including Rachel Toenjes, and setter Faith Mendedez, but return Sadie Armijo and Brendelyn Brannan.

BCHS, winners of four consecutive section titles, will have a new look and philosophy this fall now that the Eagles move up into D-II for the playoffs.

We are changing our focus and trying to create a better dynamic, BCHS coach Matt Touchstone said. Hopefully one that can help up build and continue to compete at a high level as we move up divisions.

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New-look Liberty still shining bright at local volleyball scrimmage - The Bakersfield Californian

Photo by Jason Wheeler.

Lt. Col. Allen West with Gage Lee at his Guardian of the Republic event Saturday, Aug. 12, in Prescott Valley.

Liberty and tyranny. Those were the two words Lt. Col. Allen West said he wanted everyone to remember at Saturday nights Guardian of the Republic, an event presented by the Republican Women of Prescott.

The difference between liberty and tyranny is something that must be talked about in the United States, West said. Its not about Republican and Democrat, but what each person believes in as the principle of governance and the relationship between the individual and the federal, state and local government, he said.

That is the philosophical problem we have in the United States of America, but until the Republican Party starts to talk about what liberty and tyranny truly is, theyre going to continue to miss the boat, West said, stating that the difference between liberty and tyranny is the difference between believing the individual is able to do what they want with themselves and the fruits of their labor and believing someone else in a far off place is the one who makes that decision. Elected officials need to be pressured to make that delineation, he said.

Tell me which side of the line that youre on. Tell me when you go to Washington D.C., are you going to vote for and advocate for the policies that allow me to have my liberty, that allow me to have my freedom, that allow me to go out and take care of my family, that allow me to go out and choose whats the best form of education for my children, that allow me to go out and say I want to be able to provide health care for myself.

West, who retired from the U.S. Army as a Lieutenant Colonel, is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives and a member of the Republican Party. He represented Florida's 22nd congressional district in the House (2011-13).

People voted into office need to be able to see the difference between liberty and tyranny as its a strategic battle, West said. At the same time, children need to be taught civics and what it means to live in the republic that is the United States of America, he said, noting that there are some adults that dont understand it.

Further, the Republican Party doesnt know its history, West said, remarking it was established so everyone can enjoy freedoms, rights and liberties.

Its always been the champion of the individual irrespective of class because they believe that everyone has equality of opportunity, not equality of outcomes, he said. Equality of opportunity means you have liberty. Equality of outcomes means you have a state of tyranny because someone is deciding where you can go, how far you can achieve.

West urged the audience to make sure theyre talking about what they believe in that makes the Prescott area such a great little piece of heaven. Here, Phoenix and Tucson are where the fight really is, he said.

Its all about the next generation and passing on a better place to them, West said, inviting a boy by the name of Gage Lee up to the stage with him. The question everyone needs to ask themselves is if theyre going to leave a legacy of liberty or tyranny for their grandchildren, he said.

Ask what I did to advance liberty for Gage and this generation. If youre not doing that, you really dont understand what it means to be an American. Our commitment has always been to pass on a constitutional republic, to pass on through our DNA that which is liberty, West said.

He added he doesnt care what people call him because he sees Lee and those more worried about being called a name than standing up for liberty and the next generation dont understand the essence of what it means to be an American. You need to leave out of here tonight with a commitment to Gage and all these other children and grandchildren up here in Prescott, in Yavapai, that it wont happen on your watch. That one day, Gage will be able to look and say they gave it all for me.

In the end, a persons grave will have a start date, end date and a dash in between that either says they fought for liberty or succumbed to tyranny, he said, mentioning that leadership is not about what a single person achieves or attains, but what they enable to others to achieve and attain.

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Lt. Col. Allen West talks liberty, tyranny - Prescott Valley Tribune

The newest school to join the Iowa City Community School District hosted its grand opening Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017.

For nearly a half-century, the Iowa City Community School District has had only two comprehensive high schools.

Iowa City High, home of the Little Hawks, and Iowa City West, home of the Trojans, have been those two schools since 1968.

While the rivalry hasn't gone stale, a new school may be sending a jolt through the district.

Liberty High School -- home of the lightning -- will become the third primary high school in the district as the 2017-18 academic year kicks off.

The first public high school to be built from scratch in eastern Iowa in more than three decades, Liberty took several years -- from planning to building -- and $75 million to erect.

Liberty will serve 700 students in year one, most of which attended North Central Junior High, and would have attended West.

District leaders said City High and West High were at 130 percent capacity last year, and Liberty should provide much needed alleviation.

Further, Superintendent Stephen Murley said the addition of a school brings additional opportunities.

"There are three leads in the school play," said Murley. "There are three firsts in the debate team. There are three starting point guards. There are three starting quarterbacks for the football team."

The school is expected to reach more than 1,000 students by year three.

Depending on the September 12 bond referendum vote, the school could fit as many as 1,500 students (if the bond is approved).

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Liberty Community Services in New Haven introduces new executive director

NEW HAVEN >> Jim Pettinelli, as the new executive director of Liberty Community Services, brings to the agency a three-decade background in behavioral health services and programs for the homeless.

He was introduced at a press conference Monday and will assume the position in September, replacing John Bradley, who led the organization for 10 years. Bradley left this summer for Poughkeepsie, N.Y. with his wife, Elizabeth Bradley, who is the new president of Vassar College.

Bradley will head Vassars Urban Education Institute at Vassar, where 100 college students there mentor 250 city children throughout the year.

Pettinelli has been the assistant director for the Community Research and Implementation Core at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS at Yale University for the past eight years.

Before that, he was the vice president and chief operating officer for Victory Programs, a Boston-based nonprofit offering services similar to those at Liberty, part of a long career working in community outreach, behavioral health and housing.

Mayor Toni Harp said Liberty, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, stands out among the citys nonprofits for the range of services it offers and its ability to come through with new approaches in serving the homeless, persons with mental health and substance abuse issues, as well HIV-AIDS.

Liberty always steps up and says let us give it a try, the mayor said.

She said she was also happy that Pettinelli knows how to raise money from the private sector, which is increasingly important.

I have every confidence that they will be around another 30 years, Harp said. They will be nimble and able to provide the services these populations need.

The agency provided services and housing to some 800 persons last year, Harp said.

Jim Travers, president of Libertys Board of Directors, thanked Harp for her ideas that were picked up by Liberty, specifically the RESPECT program which places some 80 homeless individuals into community beautification jobs with the help of a $100,000 grant from Alexion with the aim that half of them will obtain long-term employment.

With private donations, the Sunrise Cafe serves 170 people a day, many of whom are homeless.

Travers said the agency thrives because of the support of the community, but particularly support from the mayor.

Pettinelli thanked the larger community for helping those who are looking for that next step up. It is an amazing community that we are all a part of ... really looking to provide an opportunity, an option.

Pettinelli emphasized housing as the platform that stabilizes our lives that makes us feel at home and safe and that opportunity really needs to be available to everyone.

Liberty Services has some 200 units of housing at Safe Haven on State Street and at other scattered sites.

Travers said the organization is secure in its funding for the next two years and in the meantime it will look for additional funds to expand its programs. I think what we have is a very secure base to build on, Travers.

As for expanding any programs, he said they will look at the needs and proceed accordingly.

Travers did say the Sunrise Cafe has been instrumental in establishing a relationship with people they can then work with on getting housing.

Several men, who attended the announcement at City Hall, complained about various services that they feel are inadequate.

Joseph Strain, who is recently out of prison, said he has been able to get $547 for a security deposit for an apartment, but he said that is not enough and Liberty wont give him any more.

The mayor said those funds come from the state, which caps the total. She said it is something they could take up with the state delegation.

Strain and Robert Dinuzzo both asked about using boarded up abandoned buildings in New Haven to house the homeless with the potential new tenants working on renovation.

This issue has come up before and the city has said putting untrained workers on a site is a liability, while it has no say on private property.

You makes us a liability, Strain said. I can do work.

To the degree that we can, we will. We will do whatever we can to get you the skills that you need, the mayor said.

I have the skills, Strain said.

We will do what we can, but its a competitive world we have out there, Harp said.

Petinelli said his greatest challenge will be identifying as many resources as possible to help as many people as we can.

Another individual, just out of prison, said they used to be able to get vouchers to do their laundry, but no more.

He suggested they start a laundry that released prisoners could use and run as a business and where canned goods and other necessities could be dropped off.

We are about innovative ideas, Travers said, as he connected the person with a case manager.

Another person released from prison eight months ago, said he had problems reapplying for Social Security Disability.

I have been on the street since December, he said. Im in no condition to be on the street. He also was referred to a case manager.

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Liberty Community Services in New Haven introduces new executive director - New Haven Register

Three tidbits on the Hurricanes

1. The offensive line looks strong. A lineman in his playing days, Liberty coach John Truby jumped at the chance to single out his trench men when discussing his roster.

The Hurricanes return five offensive linemen who played extensively last season. That group suffered its share of injuries, contributing to a late-season fade after a 5-2 start.

Shane McLaughlin, Keaton Wesley, Jack Fineanfanofo, Anthony Caamano and Mike Warner should all be part of Libertys offensive-line rotation. That group is working with former Hurricanes head coach Dave Brown, who is in his first season as an assistant on Trubys staff.

Libertys projected strength on the offensive line plus a three-man running back group of Nasir Legree, Roberto Rivera and Justin Diaz has Truby excited.

Those three are doing just a bang-up job running the football, Truby said. I feel really good with those two spots offensively.

2. Erney has asserted himself. Junior Todd Erney started last season as Libertys quarterback but ended the year sidelined for a school discipline issue. His classmate, Tristan Reinert, finished the year at quarterback.

Erney has re-emerged as the Hurricanes starter with his work during the offseason and early in camp. He completed 57-of-128 passes for 795 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions last season.

This summer, working with [offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Tom] Wills, really getting into what we want him to do in the offense and showing that maturity, hes done well, Truby said. Hes starting to pick up a leadership role a little bit. We have very good senior leadership, so were not asking him to do too much there, but hes starting to have better command of the offense. Thats the big stuff.

3. The linebackers will lead the defense. Liberty suffered key losses along its defensive line and in its secondary. While it looks to rebuild those units, its linebackers should provide stability and leadership.

Seniors Jayden Vazquez and Will Kandianis form Libertys defensive backbone. Vazquez is a Fordham recruit.

This defense, were up tempo, Vazquez said. We like to hit. Contact is a big thing.

Coach: John Truby.

2016 record: 5-6 overall, 3-5 EPC South.

Whos new: Former Liberty head coach Dave Brown has returned to coach the offensive line. Kenny Weid will coach the H-backs.

Millers first thoughts

Liberty graduated some of the EPC Souths top individual players (Jaohne Duggan, Darian Street, Gunner Anglovich), but that elite talent was surrounded by youth last season. The Hurricanes returning players now know what it takes to navigate a 10-game varsity season and remember the disappointment of ending 2016 on a four-game losing streak.

The Hurricanes need development along their defensive line and secondary the most before EPC South play starts Sept. 1. In a division loaded with playmaking wide receivers, pressuring the quarterback and covering on the outside are musts.

Scrimmage schedule

8/19: at Delaware Valley, 11 a.m.

Regular-season schedule

AUGUST

25: at East Stroudsburg South

SEPTEMBER

1: at Easton

8: PARKLAND

15: at Whitehall

22: BETHLEHEM CATHOLIC

29: at Dieruff

OCTOBER

7: NORTHAMPTON

13: at Emmaus

20: NAZARETH

28: FREEDOM, 1 p.m.

All games 7 p.m. unless noted; home in CAPS

samiller@mcall.com

Twitter @mcall_smiller

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Liberty Hurricanes preseason football report - Allentown Morning Call

This article is being republished as part of our daily reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S. print edition of The Wall Street Journal (August 14, 2017).

LONDON -- Decades after earning the nickname the "Cable Cowboy" for building an American cable-TV empire, John Malone is at it again. This time, he has set his sights on internet delivery overseas.

Mr. Malone's investments have been making plenty of headlines in the U.S. recently. He owns a nearly one-third voting stake in Discovery Communications Inc., the television-programming company that agreed on July 31 to buy rival Scripps Networks Interactive Inc. for $11.9 billion. Another big Malone investment, Charter Communications Inc., last month rejected a one-on-one tie-up with Sprint Corp.

But he and his lieutenants have also been building, more quietly, a cable colossus far from American shores that has the potential to be the backbone for 5G, the next generation of wireless communications that promises to turbocharge mobile download and upload speeds. Liberty Global PLC, which is incorporated in London but run out of Mr. Malone's hometown of Denver, is currently the world's biggest international cable company. Currently, it has 25 million subscribers across 30 countries in Europe and Latin America. The company said Monday it planned to spin off the Latin American business later this year.

The company's ambition when it started in 2005 was to be a cable-TV and broadband-internet provider, but its focus has shifted to include wireless networks, too.

Liberty Global and its investors believe it has positioned its networks to take advantage of 5G technology if and when it gains traction. The strategy echoes Mr. Malone's moves in the U.S. in the 1990s, when he transformed cable into high-speed pipes for the internet.

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Currently, Liberty Global's focus is selling customers its "quad play," a bundle of cable, internet, fixed-line telephone and mobile services, all for one price. Liberty mostly rents the use of cellular towers and other wireless infrastructure from carriers for its mobile offerings. But for the other three products, it owns the infrastructure -- miles of coaxial copper and fiber-optic cables.

It is those cables where more value potentially can be unlocked.

The telecom industry's vision of 5G, which is expected to go live in 2019 or 2020, is to connect the cables to small cellular antennas to transmit the gobs of data required for top-quality videos, self-driving cars, virtual reality and other technologies of the near future. Those antennas would be close to the ground, or atop buildings and streetlights, in contrast to the tall ones now that sit along highways. These smaller antennas would send that data on its final journey -- to customers in a radius as short as 300 feet. The process is similar to how a Wi-Fi router transmits data from a landline connection.

"There are two things that are going great for us," said Balan Nair, Liberty Global's chief technology and innovation officer. "We have fiber to many neighborhoods" and power, he said. The company has utility cabinets in neighborhoods already connected to power, which would allow the company -- or a mobile-carrier partner -- to quickly set up a 5G cellular site there.

Liberty Global's fiber-optic landlines could make the company an acquisition target for a mobile carrier that wants to buy 5G infrastructure, said Citi analyst Simon Weeden. "There's obviously going to be demand for this stuff," he said.

But one potential downside: Many wireless carriers are already building out their own fiber-optic networks for their own 5G services. If that happens, customers might just use their existing wireless carrier's 5G and skip Liberty Global's offerings altogether. "5G may not be good news" for Liberty Global, Mr. Weeden said.

Mr. Nair said it would be difficult for mobile carriers to invest in laying the landlines for their own 5G network. "The economics of building that infrastructure are high," he said, referring to costs. He said Liberty Global would decide whether to partner with a mobile carrier for 5G or whether to become a 5G carrier on its own on a case-by-case basis in each market.

Liberty Global Chief Executive Mike Fries struck a note of caution at a conference in February, saying that 5G wouldn't become a reality soon, at least in Europe. European mobile carriers don't have enough money to invest in 5G upgrades, and many are still in the process of adopting 4G, the current generation of wireless technology, Mr. Fries said.

The challenges extend to building out the infrastructure. Liberty Global's effort to install fiber-optic lines in the U.K., called "Project Lightning," has been delayed. Mr. Fries in May said the company had discovered irregularities in reporting the completion status of some fiber-optic plans by a small group of local managers. This week, he said management changes were helping to remedy the problem.

Mr. Malone, 76 years old, is Liberty Global's chairman, but he delegates responsibilities to the 54-year-old Mr. Fries, who is also based in Denver and occasionally fronts a rock 'n' roll cover band called "The Moderators." Liberty Global declined to make Mr. Malone available for an interview.

Liberty Global's fast growth has been somewhat overshadowed, especially lately, by Mr. Malone's other interests in the U.S.

In 1999, Mr. Malone sold cable-powerhouse Tele-Communications Inc. to what was then known as AT&T Corp. for $46 billion. In 2005, he merged two of his overseas interests, cable-operator UnitedGlobalCom and the international arm of media-investment company Liberty Media Corp., to create Liberty Global. Mr. Malone remains Liberty Media's chairman.

Mr. Malone is also chairman of Liberty Broadband Corp., the largest investor in Charter. Mr. Malone had been trying for a year to get Charter and rival Comcast Corp. to jointly invest in or partner with a mobile carrier, The Wall Street Journal reported in June. Charter on last month, however, rejected an informal offer for a merger with Sprint.

Liberty Global now operates eight brands, the most notable being Virgin Media in the U.K. and Ireland. Since 2005, it has snapped up more than 250 companies, spending $93 billion, and sold about 30, for $11 billion. It bought Virgin Media in 2013 for $24 billion.

Mr. Fries has kept the company's various businesses for the most part independent, counting on local brand recognition and manager expertise. But the parent company saves on research and development costs by rolling out the same set-top box across all of its markets. Liberty Global also has a stable of cable-industry veterans it can dispatch to its companies to help with technological and regulatory issues. "We are delivering people, we are delivering expertise," Mr. Fries said in a recent interview.

Write to Stu Woo at Stu.Woo@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 14, 2017 02:47 ET (06:47 GMT)

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Liberty Global Quietly Shapes 5G Strategy -- WSJ - Fox Business

commentary By Curtis W. Freeman | 4 hours ago

A plaque containing the U.S. Bill of Rights. Photo courtesy of Creative Commons/Ted Mielczarek

(RNS) A recent survey found only 2 percent of evangelical Christians indicated that the Bill of Rights made America great, although more than half said they highly value the freedom of religion and less than half said they appreciate Americas Christian roots.

This lack of enthusiasm stands in sharp contrast to earlier generations. The overwhelming number of evangelical Christians during the formative period of our constitutional democracy regarded the freedoms enshrined in the Bill of Rights to be essential for making America great. The Constitution and the Bill of Rights created the environment for the United States to become a Beulah Land where religious dissenters of all sorts flourished because it ensured that liberty was for all.

Evangelical Christians have not lost their mind, but they have clearly lost their memory. If our fragile democracy is to survive this social amnesia, it is important for all Americans to recover our collective memory by learning anew the important stories of the forgotten tradition of religious dissent and the ways it shaped American democracy, and more importantly how dissent ensures democracys vitality.

When the U.S. Constitution was proposed in 1787, Article VI declared in the strongest possible language that no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust. This was the only reference to religion in the entire text, but an important one. It reflected the fact that the conviction of religious liberty in England was forged in the fires of one religious test after another.

Baptist minister John Leland. Image courtesy of ARDA

Religious dissenters, which included anyone not in good standing with the Church of England, were excluded by law from holding public office, attending university or serving in the military. In the event that a dissenter was elected to public office, there was a provision for an exception, as long as dissenting Christians received Communion in the Church of England within a year. Daniel Defoe sharply criticized the occasional conformity of dissenters who engaged in this dubious practice to qualify for the privilege of employment or public office, saying they were mortgaging their consciences and playing a game of Bo-peep with the Almighty.

The application of religious tests to exclude dissenters was something the Framers wanted to explicitly prohibit. But even the constitutional provision against religious tests was not sufficient for John Leland and the Baptists of Virginia. For Leland, true liberty was more than toleration, which presupposes preeminence of one and indulgence of others. Genuine liberty, he argued, must apply equally to Jews, Turks, Pagans and Christians. Liberty must be for all or it is not liberty at all.

To secure this liberty, Leland met with James Madison, who was preparing to run for the Constitutional Congress of 1788. Leland protested that the Constitution had no provision for religious liberty. Madison agreed, but he stated that if elected he would work to secure religious liberty as he had done in Virginia. Leland and the Baptists agreed to support Madison, who was elected by a large margin. Virginia passed the Constitution in June 1789, and Madison went on to write the Bill of Rights, which was approved in 1791. The First Amendment made good on his promise to religious dissenters, declaring that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.

Evangelical Christians in the founding of our republic understood something worth remembering. The flourishing of their communities depended on the extension of religious freedom, not only to minority Protestant dissenters like themselves, but to all Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, and people of all faiths or none at all.

Evangelical Christians are not alone in suffering from a severe case of historical amnesia. It is a condition afflicting many Americans who have no memory of the inclusive vision in the Bill of Rights.

Even more importantly we are in danger of losing the recognition of, and capacity for, living with fundamental religious differences, which is a foundational condition to the basic political tolerance on which American democracy depends. Religious pluralism is a legacy of religious liberty. Both were crucial in the formation of American democracy, and both remain essential for its flourishing today.

We must not allow a misremembering of history to change religious liberty into a presumed privilege of a religious majority (real or assumed) or to become a tool of exclusion used against religious minorities (no matter how different from us they may be). To do so turns our founding principles on their heads. It was just such a bad idea that called for the creation of the lively experiment that became America. Lets celebrate and defend religious liberty for all, and make America great again.

(Curtis W. Freeman, research professor of theology at Duke Divinity School, is the author of the new book Undomesticated Dissent: Democracy and the Public Virtue of Religious Nonconformity from Baylor University Press. The views expressed in this opinion piece do not necessarily reflect those of Religion News Service)

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