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Friday, November 18, 2005
Our Endangered Values
T
hank you, President Carter, for illustrating so eloquently what has gone wrong in this country, while reminding us what America once was.
L
ike Jimmy Carter, I too am ashamed, alarmed and even frightened by what has happened in the last five years in this country. The changes have occurred in at least two arenas.
T
he fundamentalist movement has begun to erode the wall between church and state. Paraphrasing Thomas Jefferson, tyranny of the state begins when the wall between church and state falls. The separation between church and state was purposeful and has provided this country the "room" for all points of view to flourish.
P
resident Bush's arrogance in the international sphere has changed America from a peace-seeking to a war-mongering country. Hubris cannot encourage humanity. And unprovoked war does not bring about peace.
H
istory is replete with imperial eras. All of them have brought about sadness, destruction and yet too few lessons for those who aspire to it.
F
or me, this is not the America I knew. Sometimes it takes a Nobel Peace Prize-winning statesman to remind us of our legacy and our responsibility.
Posted by fm on November 18, 2005 at 12:15 AM