Is Nuxoll sorry she's an arrogant bigot? Not yet Marty Trillhaase/Lewiston Tribune The Declaration of Independence says that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." It does not say all men are "endowed by Jesus Christ" with these rights. The Pledge of Allegiance speaks of "one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." It does not speak of "one nation, under Jesus Christ." The motto of the United States - printed on coins and dollar bills - states: "In God we trust." It does not state: "In Jesus Christ we trust." Apparently, that's a source of consternation for Sen. Sheryl Nuxoll, R-Cottonwood. Not only did she join Sens. Lori Den Hartog, R-Meridian, and Steve Vick, R-Dalton Gardens, in boycotting guest chaplain Rajan Zed's Hindu invocation opening the March 3 Senate session, but Nuxoll cast aspersions upon the faith. "Hindu is a false faith with false gods," Nuxoll said. "I think it's great that Hindu people can practice their religion, but since we're the Senate, we're setting an example of what we, Idaho, believe." Just for getting that much wrong, Nuxoll ought to apologize. But there's more. Nowhere within the U.S Constitution will you find Jesus Christ or God. What you will find is the creed of the Enlightenment: a fervent fear of church and state combining to crush individual liberty and an abiding tolerance for the views of all: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, ..." says the First Amendment. Nuxoll needs to study that because she has conjured up the idea that the Constitution is "based on Judeo-Christian principles." Not only is she profoundly wrong about the history of that document, but she used her distorted reading of the Constitution as an excuse to be a religious bigot. And for that, she ought to apologize. You'd think any Idaho state senator - past or present - would cringe at the notion of belittling prayers and expressions of good will from any invocation. After all, this is the body that 14 years ago appointed as its chaplain a messenger of hate - Bryan Fischer - who used the state seal of approval as a launching pad for national prominence. Thanks to the people running the state Senate at the time - among them U.S. Sen. Jim Risch, R- Idaho - Fischer has been elevated as host of a national radio talk show where he espouses the following: Gays made the most vicious Nazis, hence Adolf Hitler recruited them as his thugs. Islam "is the spirit of Satan." There is "an overwhelming correlation" between homosexuality and pedophilia. Native Americans suffer from poverty and alcoholism because they "cling to the darkness of indigenous superstition." If Nuxoll doesn't like being tied to Fischer, she should apologize. She will find no support from any religious leader. Within days of Nuxoll's comments, people of many faiths - the Episcopalians, Roman Catholics, Protestants, Buddists, Jews and Hindus - took pains to distance themselves from the Cottonwood Republican. Perhaps Nuxoll, a devout Roman Catholic, should ponder the words of Pope Francis: "The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone." If Nuxoll opened her ears, she would apologize. And if she opened her eyes, she would observe that during the beginning of every Senate session people in the gallery and on the floor rise and bow their heads in silence while the invocation is given. Not everyone present is a believer. Some are agnostics. Some are atheists. Theirs is an act of tolerance and respect for the sincerely held religious views of Nuxoll and others. Now, the first time Nuxoll finds herself in their shoes, listening to an invocation given by a representative of a faith she finds alien, she has become an agent of intolerance and disrespect. But Nuxoll is no potentate charged with policing what's a genuine religion and what is not, who answers to a true God and who does not. Somewhere in the more than four years since she joined the Legislature, Nuxoll has forgotten that she answers to the people who sent her to Boise, not the other way around. Idahoans forgive a lot from their elected officials. But not arrogance. If you know what's good for you, Sen. Nuxoll, you won't put this off any longer. Apologize. - M.T. .