On people swearing

Okay, so the new (and newly Democratic) Congress take their seats today, and here's hoping they'll actually get something done this term. It certainly started out with a bang, particularly for one rep from Minnesoter. A brief re-creation:

KEITH ELLISON: Hi, I'm Keith Ellison, and I want to be your Congressman.
RIGHTY BLOGOSPHERE: HolyshitholyshitholyshitMuslim!
PEOPLE: Whatever.

Since his election, his religion has led to more and more controversy among those who think that a) Islamofascist terr'ists are totally going to take over the US, b) Americans are, for some reason, going to just let them do that, and c) every tan and/or Muslim person in the US is an Islamofascist terr'ist. To wit:

VIRGIL GOODE: I'm serious, y'all, Muslim!
RON TALLON: Yeah, Muslim!
PEOPLE: Whatever.

And of course, his decision to take his oath of office with his hand on the Koran instead of the Bible (and a note there: As a group, the incoming Congressindividuals don't swear on any holy book at all, and Ellison's choice of holy books would only come up in a separate, private ceremony) has only served to make those wingnuts wingier.

DENNIS PRAGER: Christian nation!
RIGHTY BLOGOSPHERE: For serious, y'all, Muslims!
PEOPLE: Whatever!

And now that the day has come, what particular Koran has Ellison chose for his private ceremony? That would be the one formerly belonging to Thomas Jefferson.

KEITH ELLISON: Founding father, beeyatch.
FREEPERS: That's...! But I... Ahem. He's... Still, Muslim!
PEOPLE: Are we done here?

Because, in the end, we all know that there is no religious test for Congresscritters, that ours was a country based on, among other things, religious freedom, that we are not a quote-Christian-unquote nation, that even George Washington himself didn't go to church, and that the important thing is the oath itself, which is a promise to protect and uphold the Constitution.

(Unless you want to go through people's mail, which is obviously a different situation entirely.)