Another comment by me on Politics in Mudville that I wanted to save in MY writings. Sorry if it lacks anything without his blog where my post would not be as easy to find.

Up the Flag --I read The Closing of the American Mind by Prof. ALLAN BLOOM. I'm thinking you either didn't or didn't get it. He concluded the opposite of your interpretation--that kids came to college so value-neutral in the name of secular open-mindedness, that they actually didn't know how to discern or make any value judgments --thus, the closing of their minds. He said they came to college so convinced that moral neutrality was a supreme value that they weren't good at REASONING!

Just exactly what is it that you fear from the Religious Right? Really? Probably, it's the 4 things that we believe gov't should NOT encourage with tax money --and should NOT advocate or support by law --and should discourage by law-- for the common welfare-- abortion on demand (i.e. for any or no reason), gay marriage and adoption, and indecent entertainment media (particularly prime time media that say wrong is right to the nation's youth --creating a fad of both hetero & homosexual experimentation by teens--exploring their sexuality and putting themselves at risk for disease, pregnancy and other fall-out of pre-marital sex.) No. 4--Same concern for unrestrained porn manufacture and availability on the internet or elsewhere.

Porn becomes addictive like drugs -inflames the young, misdirects youth and addicts them, inflames the morally weak (morally challenged) like those seen in "To Catch a Predator," and it destroys marriages. The lives of porn stars aren't exactly drug or disease-free and happy, either. There really is no innate constitutional right to make or sell the stuff --certainly the crack-down on kiddie porn should be severe --as it was not under Clinton who prosecuted very few cases compared to Republican administrations. I don't think porn and sex chat, sex phone lines, etc. attract only the perverted --they MAKE people perverted. Yes, the sin nature is in our hearts to start with, but temptors do help the temptable fall. Porn's inroads into our American homes is like a cancer spreading with disastrous results. Toledo police have said that all the rapists have porn collections; all the pedophiles do.

Most in the Religious Right favor a voluntary restoration of decency in our culture --but also enforcement of laws for decency that are probably still on the books, such that some of the gay pride extremes would be outlawed as public indecency --as they should be --rather than encouraged as free speech.There's a balance for which to strive--there is common sense decency for the sake of the children and out of respect for the moral and religious sensitivities of others. you may think it's ok for gays to meet in park bathrooms for activities with strangers --as the gay singer Geo. Michael apparently believes --but the law should continue to say such activities are illegal and punishable.

Sexual libertarians don't seem to want ANY consequences or restrictions because nothing is immoral to them --not even infidelity in some cases. E.G.Oprah was aghast that George would go to the R.R. for sex when he had a partner --but his response to Oprah suggested they must have an open relationship. Perhaps our French Microdot might say, "What's wrong with that??"

A culture influences the choices and character of its children. Live and let live is good up to a point. but I don't want the choices of my grandchildren to be influenced by those loose livers with spiritual hepatitis in our culture! I wish there wasn't "so much culture to counter" as one pundit put it. You want the culture to be entirely secular in its values --but what are those values? up the flag once asked me for my values --I never saw her response when I gave her my long list.

The constitution and the Bill of Rights were never intended by its writers to give license to every inclination in the mind of man. The writers were believers in basic Biblical moral standards common to the religious folk who came here --no question not everyone was religious.

But the first school board of Washington D.C, with Thomas Jefferson on it, included as basic texts, The Isaac Watts Hymnal, the Common Book of Prayer, and the Bible. The early McGuffey Readers indicated that Christian values were something our fore fathers considered good for all the children in America. The Northwest Ordinance stated they should establish public schools for the religious and other education of the children. I'm not so reactionary as to say we need to be as religious in schools as our founding fathers made THEIR schools --but we shouldn't be so "progressive" as to say there were no elements to conserve from America's Biblically informed culture.

When you downgrade the posting of the Ten Commandments or the Ohio state motto in classrooms, or any public mention of God in public meetings --you are biting the hand that feeds this nation. Our faith roots are the REASON we are still the best nation in which to live --for human rights and generosity.Yes, I know that Europe's socialism exceeds our give-away gov't, but is it working out over there economically? I've heard not.

I haven't heard of any European country taking on Africa's or Israel's problems as much as the U.S. I don't hear of many liberal private organizations doing as much for the poverty stricken in less developed nations --as the Christian organizations are doing. Instead we hear of the UN's corruption in that regard, misusing funds intended for the world's needy. We heard of the Red Cross's leader ripping off that charity a few years back. We know that religious charities operate with the lowest overhead. So let's give credit where credit is due.