Moral high ground

To the Editor: Issues concerning global warming, evolutionary theory, the big bang, and the beginning and end of life, are matters of scientific analysis and research. Religious doctrine is based on faith. While the two perspectives attempt to answer the same questions, they are fundamentally different in approach. One reason the English colonies were established was that of religious freedom. The results included the founding of a nation based on a constitution, separation of church and state, equal representation, and a system of checks and balances. Noble causes have been wrapped in eloquent speeches of patriotism, constitutionality, morality and religion. Some Americans have begun to ask questions. The questioners are being portrayed as unpatriotic, mindless dupes of the political fringe. One might imagine that the outing of CIA operatives, the reluctance in setting up a 9/11 commission, the infringement upon individual freedoms, the Downing St. Memos, the results of the Dufler Report, the handling of the Terri Schiavo case, the appointments made to the judiciary and cabinet, and the failure to apprehend Osama Bin Laden, could be characterized as such. Leadership demands a well thought out course of action. Combativeness and character assassinations do not solve problems. America deserves better. T. Ryan Hamburg