We say things in anger that would not be expressed if we calmly thought about it. Mark Outland was goaded into less than Christian comments and Sean Rabe stung by critical phone calls, infers his denigrators are intolerant bigots.

Controversy is great for newspaper circulation but it does little to settle the divisions among us. The meaning of words has changed since I came to Amador County in 1941. A bigot used to be defined as someone who did not live according to his religious beliefs. Now that label is assigned to anyone who disagrees with what is politically correct.

Radical social changes have taken place over the years and it started long ago when a young John Dewey went to Russia and studied under Professor Wundt. He came home protesting against things in America and advocating the Russian model of mind-control education. He infused his ideas into the teacher colleges and before long, Secular Humanism was being taught in universities across the nation.

It is now the norm for youths from kindergarten through college to be influenced by highly psychologized curriculum that teaches secularism and situational ethics that have no fixed standards. Whatever feels good to the person is thought to be alright to indulge in. There are no rules because with each situation there is a decision to make on their own without parental guidance or the values of their faith.

Humanism has been around so long that most don't remember things being any other way. The American Civil Liberties Union enforces it with law suits schools can't afford to oppose. The Judeo Christian standards that provided guidelines for society to live by have been superseded by the philosophies of men who erroneously assume that when they are learned they are wise. Has society been elevated by their theories?

I remember a time when there was little crime or drugs in Amador County. We never locked our doors and we rightly felt people would deal honestly with us. Most mothers were there when their children came home from school. Fathers felt a responsibility to support their families, love their children and teach them right from wrong. Divorce was uncommon and no honorable man would beat his wife. Aids was non existent.

The disintegration of families, the basic unit of society, has become a national disaster. So, when people are incensed about the loss of much that made life meaningful and rewarding they could use a little empathy. Sadly, America is no longer a Judeo Christian nation.

Mary Alice Tustison

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