During my years of writing columns and letters to the editor, three big ideas surfaced. They are: Being political and being partisan are not the same; bringing religious values into government is not the same as making governmental policy based on a religion’s dogma; and judging the actions of a country’s government and making judgments about that government’s people are not the same.
Political people are interested in and often active in the workings of government at all levels. They want to know how decisions about the allocation of public resources are made and who makes them. Being partisan means that any proposed policies or laws must be first vetted against a specific ideology, a singular perspective, an absolutism about what government should do and for whom.
Nothing in the concept of church-state separation precludes the work of elected officials being influenced by universal religious values. Principles like compassion, honesty, equal rights and trustworthiness are the foundations of all major faiths. This is very different from making laws and basing a nation’s identity on the dogmas and scriptural interpretations of any particular religion.
I like learning Russian. The customs and culture of Russian people fascinate me. But I am bitterly opposed to the actions this country’s leader has taken to the detriment of his own citizens and to the world at large. Those protesting what they see as Israel’s disproportionate military responses are speaking out against the Israeli government, not against the Jewish people.
It’s important to know the differences.
Jeff Zdrale,
Neenah
Tips for getting your letter to the editor published
Here are some tips to get your views shared with your friends, family, neighbors and across our state:
Write: Letters to the editor, The Post-Crescent, P.O. Box 59, Appleton, WI 54912. E-mail: pcletters@postcrescent.com.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: LETTERS: Neenah reader talks loving a culture, disliking their leaders
Reporting by Appleton Post-Crescent / Appleton Post-Crescent
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Appleton Post-Crescent | USA TODAY Network
