T wrote:

>
>
> And need I remind you that the initial settlers of the U.S. were
> essentially religious fundamentalists.
>
> Puritans, Calvinists, et al. All people the Church of England couldn't
> tolerate.

Exactly. The Pilgrims were a sect of the Puritans. They didn't come
across the ocean to escape religious persecution. They cam to create a
religious colony. Meanwhile, back in England, the Puritans were gaining
strength and their anti Catholic zeal led to a civil war and regicide.
They sure weren't about religious freedom and tolerance.