Sunseri brings to life an important point about the spiritual and cultural aspect of work that is especially rich on the Gulf Coast. Work in a free economy is an expression of our creativity, virtue, and response to a calling. Christian authors Gerard Berghoef and Lester DeKoster note that “God so arranges work that it develops the soul.”

BP is airing a commercial in which it vows to compensate fishermen and others for the loss of income until the cleanup is completed. This is a good start. But it also serves as a reminder that earnings are secondary to fishermen whose very labor is the preservation of heritage. It is not uncommon to hear fishing crews speaking Cajun French off the coast and in the bayous and marshes of Louisiana. Cajun French, an endangered language, was at one time banned in Louisiana schools. The spill is another threat to communities and a way of life for generations of a proud and sometimes marginalized people.

Vietnamese shrimpers, too, proudly work these waters, many of them refugees from communist aggression. They flourish at shrimping, a trade that generations of families practiced in Vietnam. The Vietnamese were among the first communities to rebuild their lives after Hurricane Katrina, often not waiting for government aid. The Washington Post, in a story on the Vietnamese community, echoed this fact and explained how the spill was especially tragic as a resilient community was forced to await assistance.

BP would be wise to continue to hire as many local crews as possible for cleaning up this disaster. Locals have an extra incentive to assist in a thorough effort since they are most tied to the water. BP needs to be concerned not only with repairing its brand; the company has a clear moral obligation to follow promises with action.

The oil industry in the Gulf Coast accounts for almost a third of all U.S. oil production. The oil company’s contribution to the nation’s energy supply is invaluable, but they have been fighting public relations battles for years. Seen largely as a benefit to the community before the spill, they are now being battered by doubts from many in the region who repeat a common line: “We have made a deal with the devil.”

But many residents and local leaders understand that the oil industry is essential to Louisiana’s economic well being. The governor and legislators have fought a bipartisan battle to preserve jobs while the federal government seeks a moratorium on offshore deep-water drilling.

Many in Mississippi and Louisiana are also understandably weary of an often unresponsive federal bureaucracy. United States Congressman Gene Taylor (D-Miss), who represents the seacoast, said of the federal response, “I’m having Katrina flashbacks,” and called the current administration’s efforts “incompetent.” In a particularly harsh quip Florida Senator George Lemieux (R-Fla) added: “It’s not just oil that’s washing ashore Mr. President, it’s failure.” Asked about the biggest frustration with the federal response, Governor Bobby Jindal (R-La) on day 73 of the spill lamented, “There’s just no sense of urgency.”

There is dismay that a nation that once landed men on the moon, liberated nations, and fed and rebuilt its enemies has few answers: the “yes we can” mantra has not materialized for the Gulf. Out of the darkened waters, there is an opening for an oil company to do the right thing and repair trust with an understandably outraged populace.

The men and women of the Gulf Coast who take to the water to practice their trade deserve the opportunity to flourish in the vast wonder of creation. The many Christians among them are keenly aware of the passage from John 21, when the resurrected Christ from afar tells the disciples to cast their net on the right side of the boat and they are rewarded in abundance. The passage is a reminder that Christ has an intimate knowledge of and concern for even the creatures under the sea. It is a source of hope that the cooperation of private enterprise, government, and local ingenuity can bring healing and the rejuvenation of a treasured way of life.

Bob Herbert wrote a New York Times column echoing the sentiment of an aimless America titled “When Greatness Slips Away.” While many claim to have the answers to our economic woes and lack of confidence, we would do best to return to the principles of the Declaration of Independence, the American Founding, and our freedom narrative. In past crises, they have been sources of American endurance and strength. They can be again.

Those sacred words from the Declaration—“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness”—have been an inspiration to billions of people at home and abroad for centuries. Freedom from excessive centralization of power and the right of the citizenry to flourish without undue interference are hallmarks of what it means to be American. And while the federal government has used activism for good at times, most notably for securing civil rights in the American South, it is revealing itself more and more as the obstacle to progress.

Many in the academy and the modern left scoff at what they call the “Horatio Alger myth.” Alger wrote stories such as “Ragged Dick” and “Only an Irish Boy.” He told stories of poor children achieving the American dream through hard work, determination, and virtue. But Alger also depicted an important spiritual component to his impoverished characters. He gave them dignity and natural rights, just as our founding document did. His tales reflected the kind of egalitarianism that asserts that the value and dignity of a destitute human person is equal to that of another born into prominence and prosperity. These ideas grew right out of our religious heritage and founding.

But if Alger’s stories were not myths before, they will be soon. Future generations’ enjoyment of the liberty to flourish is in jeopardy. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, last week called the $13 trillion national debt the “biggest threat to our national security.” Annual interest on the national debt in 2012 will grow larger than the entire defense budget. Currently 43 cents of every federal dollar spent is borrowed.

This kind of dependency is antithetical to our tradition of self-reliance. Pick up any honest textbook about American history and the march of America is about freedom and opportunity. On the day of the invasion of the greatest army of liberation ever assembled, General Dwight D. Eisenhower told his armed forces “The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you.” These men are often called “The Greatest Generation.

Succeeding generations may call our own “the debt generation” as their dreams become enslaved to deficits so colossal that they sap their entrepreneurial spirit, savings, and earning potential.

Big government activists are already using the BP oil spill to double down on their claim that the federal government is too small, even while the federal response is crippled by a multilayered bureaucratic decision making process and excessive regulation. Others say the BP oil spill is the perfect sign that America’s economic and moral might has peaked.

In his 1993 Inaugural address, President Clinton said, “There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.” It’s a simple yet profound point. Similarly, the primary reason Russell Kirk penned The Roots of American Order in 1974 was to remind his country of the moral bedrock at its base, and to thereby show the way to how it could maintain greatness. In the first chapter, Kirk quotes a passage from the book of Job saying if the nation lacks foundation and order “even the light is like darkness.”

As American citizens pontificate about the future of America this July 4th, they should ask themselves what they can do to curb the contraction of liberty and promote its expansion. It is the citizens, thankfully, who will decide America’s destiny.

We can comprehend the price of liberty in the thousands of American soldiers, sailors, Marines, and airmen buried far from home across seas and continents. One of these men, buried at Normandy, is medal of honor recipient Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. After receiving two denials to land with his men in the first assault waves at Normandy, he was finally granted permission to storm the beaches with his men on D-Day.

Courageous to an almost absurd degree, Roosevelt had a serious heart condition and walked with a cane. The only general to land in the first wave at Normandy, General Omar Bradley later said of Roosevelt’s actions on the beach that day, “It was the greatest single act of courage I witnessed in the war.”

His father, President Theodore Roosevelt, cited courage and honor as being among the chief virtues of the American way of life. Too often in the academy and the political sphere the opposite is true. The student senate at the University of Washington brought dishonor on itself when it blocked a memorial to medal of honor recipient, Marine fighter ace, and an alumnus of the school named Gregory “Pappy” Boyington in 2006. One of the reasons cited: “Many monuments at UW already commemorate rich white men,” driveled one student.

A true example of honor is the Tomb Guard, a special platoon within the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment. Honor and respect has everything to do with their ceremonial and almost mystic vigil over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. The tomb represents not only all of those who died defending the republic, but also those who sacrificed their identity. The tomb has been guarded continuously and without interruption since the summer of 1937. Part of the creed of the sentinel guard reads:

Surrounded by well meaning crowds by day, alone in the thoughtful peace of night, this soldier will in honored glory rest under my eternal vigilance.

My favorite thing to do in Arlington is to walk the hallowed grounds in that garden of stones. It is in so many ways the greatest monument to America and her splendor and character. WWII veteran, and Mississippi civil rights hero Medgar Evers, who was assassinated in 1963, is buried there. Grand Rapids, Michigan native and astronaut Roger Chaffee, who died during an Apollo launch pad test, was also laid to rest in Arlington.

I actually left Arlington for a work related trip right before what has been dubbed “Snowpocalypse.” I remember watching the news about how the entire federal government had been shut down, and the area was in disarray. I remember thinking: while the weather was bringing the entire government to a halt, still somewhere things would be exactly the same. Across the Potomac in Arlington a solitary guard would be at his post, meticulously pacing 21 steps, with a rhythmic click of the heels, like an eternal heartbeat for America’s bravest.

What Brooks has crafted is a spirited defense of the free market economy and a challenge to its defenders to think more holistically, to be aware of spiritual value in a free economy. To fail to do so, would only sustain the well worn narrative of defenders of markets as greedy misers and swindlers.

One of the strengths of Brooks’s new book is the ability to not only explain the financial crisis, but to offer a superb description of the government’s role in the crisis. The problems in the mortgage industry are clearly linked to the federal pressure exerted on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to issue high risk loans. And if the financial crisis and mortgage industry are explained well by Brooks, so too is his analysis of the new health care law. Brooks explains that the bill is about government control and redistribution saying, “Obama and many in Congress even oppose the small degree of control that would come from letting Americans shop for health care plans from out-of-state insurance companies.”

The 30 percent agenda is what Brooks is most adept at exposing. “What do they believe to be the greatest problem of poor people in America? Insufficient income. What would be evidence of a fairer society? Greater income equality,” says Brooks. He understands that money is not always the root problem but there are many deeper life issues when it comes to poverty. Brooks’s account is the kind of book that draws a line in the sand, explaining why the stakes for the future of this country are so great. He, like many Americans, laments the slide of the country towards a European style of democratic socialism.

Another strength Brooks offers is the ability to connect free market principles with the founding of this nation and our deeper culture. “Free enterprise is not simply an economic alternative. Free enterprise is about who we are as a people and who we want to be. It embodies our power as individuals and our independence from the government,” says Brooks.

Perhaps Brooks’s greatest skill is articulating the moral case for the free market. He doesn’t just offer generic platitudes but understands deeper principles of human flourishing. Brooks talks about the value of “earned success.” Earned success is the ability to create value honestly and it taps into the entrepreneurial spirit. He also defends the dignity of the human person when he talks about fairness, especially the importance of fairness of opportunity over fairness of income, which is preferred by the 30 percent coalition. The human person rather should have an inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness, and creative space protected from the whims of the state.

At the closing of the book Brooks offers an inspirational defense of the greatness of this country. He contrasts the importance of principle over political parties, bailouts, and political power. Since this book is so aggressive in its denunciations of the agenda of the 30 percent coalition, it may not change many minds, but if 70 percent already side with Brooks, we should look forward to the mobilization of their voices.

[Here is a piece by Arthur Brooks in The Washington Post related to his book titled "America's new culture war: Free enterprise vs. government control."]

With knee-jerk charges leveled against tea party rallies, it may be prudent for organizers to think more carefully about the message and images they express. Dismissing out of hand the most common charges, however baseless, could prove costly for a movement of real opportunity aiming to transform the culture.

Naturally, tea partiers have borrowed from the symbols of the American Founding, but the civil rights movement may offer an even greater teachable moment. One clear reason for this is that tea party movements need to awaken the moral culture of politics and public discourse. A grave danger on the road to that goal is getting stuck in the rut of partisan politics and rhetoric.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s. movement was so successful not just because of his commitment to non-violence and the justice of his cause, but also because his words and actions consistently looked to expand the number of people who sympathized with the civil rights movement. He understood the importance of symbols and crafting narratives to reach those outside his crusade for justice. King hardly ever focused on specific legislation or public figures but appealed to greater universal truths and posed deeply moral questions to the Republic.

In his heralded “I Have a Dream” speech, King made no mention of contemporaries, save for a reference to his children and the governor of Alabama. King instead focused on Scripture, the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and President Abraham Lincoln. King knew those were powerful symbols for all Americans, and that a massive audience—not just those already in agreement with his ideas—was his target. He borrowed widely from the narratives and promises of America to appeal to this country’s better nature. King’s movement was so transformative, Washington was forced to take notice, and even President Johnson quoted the movement’s anthem “We Shall Overcome,” when he addressed a joint session of Congress in 1965.

King was also a moderating force in the civil rights movement. His non-violent tactics and insistence on not breaking federal court orders, except in extreme cases, were at odds with more radical black leaders. His appeal was also a Christian one that found resonance in the wider American culture.

Tea Party groups should learn from King’s actions precisely because their participants are law abiding and peaceful. There are fundamental truths to their claims, too, because they invoke the better nature of our government given to us by our Founders, just as King did.

Rallies that depict President Barack Obama as totalitarian or as Adolf Hitler undermine the moral witness of tea parties. Tea partiers who show up with semi automatic rifles strapped to their back in open-carry firearm states do likewise. Just because you can do something doesn’t necessarily mean you should.

Like King’s and other transformative movements, the tea party cause should be focused on winning converts and influencing those who may be opposed to them. All of this may seem difficult without a national leader, but part of its strength is drawing from the already countless leaders who have graced American history. While tea party advocates shouldn’t moderate on principle, they should reject tones of excessive anger and fear.

President Ronald Reagan, for example, was adored not just for his ideas about limited government and freedom, but also because of his sunny personality and optimism. This quality helped Reagan push those ideas back into the mainstream.

Like Reagan, King too was an optimist and embodied a vision. In his 1963 book Strength to Love he said to those seeking justice: “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that.” There is no better truth for tea partiers to build upon.

The protests were in response to a January 6 shooting that left six young Copts dead in Upper Egypt. The victims were gunned down outside the steps of their church while leaving a Christmas Eve service.

The date and location of the shooting are significant. Previously the Egyptian government has described sectarian violence within the country as family or village disputes. The latest atrocity further proves what anyone willing to connect the dots already knew: Copts are specific targets.

Copts are among the most ancient of Christian communities. They trace their roots back to the Gospel writer Mark who brought Christianity into Alexandria, Egypt, in the first century. Estimated to be about 10 percent of the population in Egypt, their long term survival in that country is in doubt. Their protection is also essential because they represent the largest Christian community in the Middle East.

Fox News deserves credit for raising awareness of Coptic persecution by airing the story of Maher and Dina El-Gowhary. The El-Gowahrys are a father and daughter who face numerous death threats because of their conversion from Islam and who are currently hiding inside Egypt. Islamic leaders have issued a fatwa against Maher, demanding the spilling of his blood. Dina even wrote a letter to President Barack Obama pleading for help.

Copts are not just terrorized with violence from growing Islamic extremism in Egypt; they face religious and economic marginalization by the government as well. The zabaleen (garbage collectors) communities are Christians who live in squalor, sorting trash daily in what can only be described as heartbreaking and horrific conditions. They epitomize the people Jesus spoke about in John 15:20: “Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.”

Christian girls face abduction, rape, and forced marriages with Muslim men. Law enforcement officials hardly respond to such cases, and when they do, they routinely dismiss the incidents as “domestic quarrels.”

Magdid Khalil, a Coptic writer living in the United States, explains the motivation behind government collusion or indifference to the plight of the Copts. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, he says, “turns a blind eye to what happens to the Coptic citizens of his country. This seems to be an attempt at appeasing the Islamists to strengthen his hold on power and pass it on to his son.”

While almost every Copt would agree that the situation in Egypt is growing worse by the day, world attention to their plight is also gathering momentum. Some world and Christian leaders have taken notice and issued statements or sent letters to Mubarak’s government. President Obama received over 4,000 letters from Copts in the United States and across the world asking him to address their suffering. More than 2,000 Copts also assembled in front of the White House on a wintry January 21st to emphasize the seriousness of their resolve.

In his State of the Union Address, President Obama said, “For America must always stand on the side of freedom and human dignity. Abroad, America’s greatest source of strength has always been our ideals.” Interestingly, the United States may be in the best position to help the Copts. Egypt receives close to $2 billion annually in American aid, placing it high on the list of beneficiaries of American largesse. The United States has never leveraged that assistance for protection of Copts. American ambassadors too have largely ignored their plight.

While the United States has exerted pressure for democratic reform in Egypt, little has changed. The current administration has an opportunity to pivot on Egypt, taking a moral stand with the persecuted, and sending a strong message to all religious minorities in the troubled region. One thing is certain: The continued suffering and witness of Copts will remind the free world that more must be done to protect religious liberty, the core freedom due to every human being.

Amid the devastation, chaos, and suffering the good news we see, and there is not a lot, is the U.S. involvement in Haiti. Many pronouncements today focus upon the supposed havoc our country wrecks around the globe, but no other country has ever proved to be more responsive, compassionate, and giving than this country when moved by suffering. It’s a comforting testimony to the character, faith, and compassion of so many Americans. Another blessing for Haiti will be the long term assistance and stability Haiti will receive, with so much of it coming from faith based relief efforts. See my post dealing with the exceptional service faith based groups and churches have provided for victims of Katrina. While governmental agencies largely botched much of the Katrina relief effort, it was church groups and agencies who were the first responders with shelter, water, and hot meals. This was the case in my former neighborhood on the Mississippi Seacoast. Many of those faith groups are still actively involved there as they are committed to long term rebuilding efforts.

One greatly needed federal body of assistance for Haiti is the U.S. Armed Forces. The U.S. military is simply the greatest in the world and the security they can provide for a country that is plagued by poverty, lawlessness, and corruption is critical. The Marines have a unique and catchy unofficial motto, “No greater friend, no worse enemy.” The U.S. Armed forces will be a great friend for Haiti, as they have been before in recent history. Sometimes people forget the immense problems with aid distribution when there is no rule of law and rampant corruption in a country. In an upcoming Religion & Liberty interview with Nina Shea at the Hudson Institute, she will also powerfully remind us about the severe obstacles of trying to transform human rights without morally challenging the corrupt and tyrannical leaders who violate those rights.

The American Christian missionary community in Haiti is substantial, largely because the needs there are so severe. This was the case long before this horrific earthquake; it will be even more so now. Please continue to pray for the protection and work of missionaries in Haiti and support them financially. Many local churches already support ministries in Haiti as well. We know they have the ability to make a tremendous impact. Find out what your local church is doing to help, and find out how you can help them. Some other good news that will emerge from this suffering will be the wonderful testimonies of compassion in the name of the Gospel. As is the case in so many tragedies, many of the best people in Haiti providing comfort will be those specifically called there by the king of Kings.

The Office of Management and Budget is projecting $9 trillion in deficits over the next ten years. Washington’s leaders have long paid lip service to the crisis, but their actions betray their words. The national debt is closing in on $12 trillion and unfunded liabilities like Social Security, Medicare, and other entitlement programs total $60 trillion. The looming budget and debt crisis transcend all current problems, and the crisis is visibly evident in the sliding value of the dollar. Former U.S. Comptroller General David M. Walker has warned that the country could go bankrupt in one generation. The poor and middle class will be affected most.

The government spent $451 billion of your money in 2008 alone to pay interest on the debt. The debt level as a fraction of gross domestic product is surging. Worse, there is no plan to address this crisis, and simply put, it will dramatically alter the quality of life for future citizens.

The president says the debt, with other threats to our fiscal stability, “keeps me awake at night.” Still, current lawmakers have only exacerbated an already dire situation by pushing new programs and reforms with no means to pay for them. Obama’s latest bid to “stimulate the economy”—by sending checks to 50 million Social Security recipients for no compelling reason—is more of the same. Attempts to hold the line on spending and restore fiscal discipline like a Balanced Budget Amendment, PAYGO (pay-as-you-go), or the line-item veto have all failed, either in Congress or the courts.

In his educational tours, former Comptroller General Walker often talks about a “leadership deficit,” rather than the spending deficit. He echoes the sentiment once expressed by the late Admiral James B. Stockdale who said: “Those who study the rise and fall of civilizations learn that no shortcoming has been surely fatal to republics as a dearth of public virtue, the unwillingness of those who govern to place the value of their society above personal interest.” Stockdale, known to many as Ross Perot’s running mate, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his leadership under difficult circumstances as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. His story provides a stark contrast with the “me first” leadership style in Washington.

The moral vacuum that seems to provide nothing but rhetoric on this issue is frightening. Even some Washington-based think tanks fall victim by ranking the importance of the debt issue differently depending on which party holds power. This year outraged citizens staged tea party rallies to rail against excessive spending, deficits, and the debt. The health care debate helped fuel the outrage. Whether you support the tea party movement or not, it is becoming increasingly evident that citizens may be the last hope for curtailing massive deficit spending.

“If we’re able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo. It will break him,” Senator Jim DeMint said of President Obama’s health care plan. The clever quote provides an illustration of the partisan stakes in Washington now, where most of the attention of lawmakers is focused. But if our legislators keep sidestepping the spending and debt crisis, it could mean America’s Waterloo.

One thing is certain, continuing the status quo on spending and debt will spell defeat for liberty in America and massive tax increases for everyone. We must demand more from our government. It will certainly be demanding more from all of us in the years to come.

One of the most obvious reasons to reform the current tax code is its sheer complexity. The code is over 60,000 pages and includes more than 1,100 forms and supplemental publications. Experts estimate that the total time Americans spend to file all of their paperwork is 6.6 billion hours. Many pay hundreds of dollars annually to pay tax professionals to file their returns, and businesses pay even more. “The present tax code is about 10 times longer than the Bible, a lot more complicated, and, unlike the Bible, contains no good news,” joked former Senator Don Nickles.

In the midst of a historic economic crisis, however, we need solutions now for economic growth and greater opportunities. The Heritage Foundation has cited Harvard economist Dale Jorgenson as saying, “Tax reform would boost national wealth by nearly $5 trillion.” Major tax reform would provide a significant economic stimulus and, if done right, would promote the common good through fairness, simplicity, and easing the tax burden of financially strapped families. Another key principle of any tax reform proposal should be putting an end to double taxation of income, especially the kind that punishes the responsible virtue exhibited by saving and investing.

Perhaps the grimmest news concerning the current code is the fact that Americans are shouldered with an increasingly ugly and immoral tax burden. According to the April 2009 edition of Reader’s Digest, a typical family in Philadelphia making only $50,000 a year pays $14,637 in total taxes. By scrapping the current code and enacting “The Fair Tax,” another major tax reform proposal, Reader’s Digest says that same family’s tax burden “would range from $8,600 to $12,500, depending on their spending.” The Fair Tax is a consumption tax that would eliminate the entire federal income tax code as well as all federal withholdings and deductions. Ending the practice of federal withholdings would have the added benefit of raising awareness: individuals and families might pay more attention to how much of their own money fills federal coffers as well as how the money is spent.

On April 15th, concerned citizens will direct their anger towards taxes and out of control government spending with national tea parties across our nation. These events tap into the kind of outrage that once caused our patriot ancestors to break with the British Crown (albeit the Founding Fathers’ outrage was directed at a mere pittance compared to our current tax burden). It would be beneficial if that sentiment was harnessed in a way to help reform our current tax code. Our country then could take the long overdue steps needed to upgrade our economy for a more competitive global market.

If the result of the tea party movement instead serves to foment partisan strife, it could hinder the worthwhile goal of fundamental reform and relief. President Obama has set up his own panel to examine tax reform, tapping former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker to oversee the task. Our new president has promised fundamental change from the way Washington does business. He could decide to revolutionize an archaic tax code that is perhaps the greatest symbol of business as usual in Washington, when one considers the number of special interest groups and lobbyists who benefit from a code whose loopholes they help to write.

But if the president merely seeks new and creative ways to raise additional revenue for a government that has failed as a steward of our finances, that won’t be change — only more of the same from Washington. Then we will be right back at square one, with politicians we can’t afford.

On college campuses during the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was students who embodied campus radicalism. Today, some administrators practice a brand of radicalism intent on punishing students who dissent from the ideology of the campus power structure. In their book, The Shadow University: The Betrayal of Liberty on America’s Campuses, authors Alan Charles Kors and Harvey A. Silverglate declare, “In a nation whose future depends upon an education in freedom, colleges and universities are teaching the values of censorship, self-censorship, and self-righteous abuse of power.”

Limits on free speech are uniquely troubling for the future health of a free society. Students become accustomed to having their rights limited, and will be more lethargic in countering possible oppression from a growing and intrusive state. Perhaps even worse, some students might be unaware that their rights have been violated because they often lack the critical thinking skills needed to challenge punishment and oppression. Educational systems where students are encouraged to memorize and regurgitate information have not properly prepared them for healthy and constructive dissent.

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), has cited a list of speech codes from several universities, some later modified thanks to FIRE’s own efforts. The University of Connecticut outlawed “inconsiderate jokes,” “stereotyping,” and even “inappropriate directed laughter.” Some schools put limits on speech using any words that result in a loss of “self esteem,” or cause “embarrassment” or “psychological discomfort.”

Perhaps none are as striking as the University of Delaware’s 2007 “Diversity Facilitation Training,” where resident advisers were trained with definitions that described racist as applying “to all white people (i.e., people of European descent) living in the United States, regardless of class gender, religion, culture, or sexuality,” and reverse racism as “a term created and used by white people to deny their white privilege.” After their training, Resident Advisers peppered new students with questions like “When did you discover your sexuality?,” and in one training session students were called upon to announce their views on same sex marriage, and pressured to alter their positions if they fell outside the political orthodoxy of the overseers.

These examples are just a smidgen of the outlandish practices performed by the Office of Residential Life at the University of Delaware for the purpose of reeducating incoming freshmen. Overseers of this indoctrination actually called the program a form of “treatment” for students. Thanks to FIRE, the school was forced to amend much of the social engineering heaped on students.

Actions like these are unsurprising to those who stand against indoctrination and coercion, and support freedom of speech on campuses. Christians too are often a favorite prey of campus overseers. But completely lost on administrators is the fact that Christians and those who profess faith in other established religions already teach fairness, respect, and dignity to those who may be marginalized because of disability, race, or socio-economic background.

Just last month at the University of Mississippi, the campus newspaper The Daily Mississippian reported that the University Police interrupted a staged reading of Alexandr Solzhenitsyn’s Gulag Archipelago. It was suggested that the readings be moved to a free speech zone or what the university calls “speakers’ corners.” An English instructor named Griffith Brownlee replied by reading the First Amendment and saying “The whole country is a free speech zone.” Once the university found out it was a department-sanctioned event they called the whole affair “a misunderstanding.” As Brownlee herself pointed out in the article, one suspects the irony of attempting to limit the words of an author who wrote against totalitarian tactics was lost on some school officials.

Students and faculty, especially at public institutions, should not have to face punishment or have their liberties stifled due to expressing their beliefs. The ability to dissent, to be fully shaped by one’s own moral ethic and traditions, is the very fabric of our free society. To sacrifice or compromise these principles to political correctness, indoctrination, and social reprogramming is not in the spirit of academic excellence and a flourishing and free society. Furthermore this is a principle, regardless of political persuasion, that rational, freedom-loving people can all defend. It would be wise to remember the words of another dissenter, Martin Luther King Jr., who wrote in his famed “Letter from Birmingham Jail” that “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”