When we put up with entertainment that tears at the family structure by devaluing marriage, or making fathers seem superfluous, or devaluing humanity in general by depicting disrespect of others without showing the devastating consequences that disrespect causes in individual lives, or when we show excessive violence, especially violence that depicts a cheap regard for human life, we poison our own culture, and it is no wonder that others don't value our culture when we don't value it ourselves.
Our culture was founded on moral principles that were derived from the Bible. It was also founded on a revolutionary kind of freedom provided by a Government that respects God, but distinguishes itself and its interests from those of religion. Our new kind of freedom allows and encourages people to choose their own values freely, making those values personal. Hard work, celebration of the rewards of hard work, self reliance with neighbors helping neighbors apart from Government are all traditional American values that we have allowed to erode. Our traditional American values stem from the fact that we are ALL descendants of immigrants, with the exception of descendants of native Americans, (a majority of whom speak Spanish). As a nation of immigrants we owe to other immigrants at least the same welcome that was offered to our ancestors, and to the descendants of native Americans, that responsibility is greater.
Possibly the best way to end the threat of terrorists (our enemies are people, not an impersonal "ism.") is to return to our own values, and uphold them as an encouragement to others, but without offering unwanted "help" so others may obtain what they may not actually want.
What is your opinion of the relationship between the decline of American values and the threat of Islamist terrorists?
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