William Fizer recently lamented the historical ignorance of our wastrel youth ("Americans don't know their history," Nov. 29 commentary).

He proceeds to provide evidence of the ignorance of the credulous old in the next paragraph, with this farcical statement: "Many Americans don't know why we celebrate the Fourth of July or that U.S. founding documents are religious in nature, based on Judeo-Christian principles."

This ignores the stated beliefs and actual writings of the founders, who were deeply suspicious of the influence of religion on government -- the wars of the Reformation, the Inquisition and witch trials being fresh in their memories.

One could stretch a case and claim that, to the extent principles of justice and fairness are in some theoretical fashion Judeo-Christian, they may in some way be embodied in the founding documents, but it is ludicrous to arrogate justice and fairness somehow exclusively to the Judeo-Christian tradition.

The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America were much more the products of classical and Enlightenment philosophers than of any religious sect or creed.

Fizer's distress at the ignorance of American history is, I think, well-taken.

He should start by learning some.

FRANK W. BELL JR.
VIRGINIA BEACH

GOP leaders don't live up to Ike

I was raised Republican in the days when I could wear my "I like Ike" button with pride. I now vote the other way, as today's Republican leaders are often "out to tea," not understanding that they are leading from half-truths.

Yes, cut expenses, but not just on programs you yourself do not use. Eliminate subsidies to ExxonMobil; as a stockholder, I won't miss them.

Tell the Food and Drug Administration to start charging a fee, one that reflects actual costs, for all the research it does for drug companies. This will bring in great amounts of money to our federal government, an excellent business model, and let the drug companies tell the truth about who pays for their research.

We have mortgaged our kids' future by not paying for two wars. Tear up that mortgage and replace it with one that does pay through a "war fee" for all and a special fee for those defense contractors who benefited most from the wars.

I miss Ike. As president, he had sound economic policies that resulted in income being spread across the land rather than just in the hands of the landed gentry.

DENNIS COGSWELL
RADFORD

Science should be open to challenge

Lots of straw men are showing up lately in your letters columns. Let me recap: Anyone dissenting from orthodoxy when it comes to manmade global warming or evolution is a knuckle-dragging, know-nothing dolt, denying unassailable dogma ... er, I mean science. Whatever happened to "question authority"?

Democrats support only convenient science. Otherwise, they'd be praising genetically modified foods, nuclear power and hydraulic fracturing for natural gas. John D. Rockefeller would be canonized for saving the whales and Monsanto deified for enabling no-till agriculture.

But I digress. The Gaia thing ... the Earth isn't much of a goddess if it can't handle a CO2 increase from 0.025 percent to 0.038 percent. Remember, the atmosphere is regularly assaulted by volcanic activity and extraterrestrial impacts. Don't forget the sun. We haven't been paying attention long enough to know if there are long -- say, 1,500-year -- cycles.

Concerning evolution, whatever happened to the notion all light is welcome?

Evolution is played out over such a long time-frame, it's effectively untestable.

I know it's standard practice for people on the left to mau-mau those they perceive as enemies, but they ought to have the decency to leave science alone. Keep those minds open.

TOM YEAGO
STAUNTON

Voters will march if Congress dithers

I could not agree more with Ginger Sawyer's letter ("Accelerating toward disaster," Nov. 28). Enough of the whining over the election, enough of the stalling over getting things done in Washington.

Both Republicans and Democrats need to work together and come up with solutions to economic problems in our country. In other words, do their job. People are fed up.

I lived in the Washington area during part of the Vietnam War and saw the huge marches and anger.

This will happen again, perhaps on a larger scale, if the members of the House and Senate don't come up with some answers that show smart thinking instead of bullying the other side.

ANNE HOOSE
ROANOKE

A disproportionate defense of Rice

President Obama became more exercised about criticism of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice than he ever did about the murders of our ambassador to Libya and the other officials. What's wrong with this picture?

FRED WAY
ROANOKE

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