The Founders, classically trained, knew of the failures and successes of the world’s great empires. Historically, religious organizations exploited doctrines of faith and used them to create conflicts for their struggles for power. Our constitution, to avoid non-elected interference, incorporates checks, balances, and protections for states and individuals. It is with prudence that they included in the constitution an expressed doctrine that any religion, and its doctrines of faith, would not be an integral part of government: the separation of church and state.
The Founders could not predict the future but provided:
· A structure that allows stakeholders to create a society that supports the survival, protection, and health of the community
· An interpretive living document to meet the needs of the time.
Liberty and freedom are not absolute truths. They are enriched by responsibility and accountability to the entire community. If minority ideas and opinions under the guise of liberty and freedom impact the freedoms and liberty of all the stakeholders, the resulting conflict usurps the good of the nation and threatens its viability. That is what is happening today in America. Protesting feels good but voting and getting out the vote are a path for change.
Alan Sprintz
Former Board Member
Longboat Key Democratic Club
Submitted as Letter to the Editor of the Sarasota-Herald Tribune