However, it was John Adams who said, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Realistically, Christianity was the only religion of the land at that time. President Barack Obama declared on April 6, 2009, “We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation…” Argumentatively we have indeed become an immoral and irreligious people.

Article 22 of Delaware’s 1776 Constitution reads as follows: Every person who shall be chosen a member of either House…shall take the following oath…”I, _______, do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ His only Son, and in the Holy Ghost, One God, blessed for evermore; and I do acknowledge the holy scriptures of the Old Testament and New Testament to be given by Divine Inspiration.”

My detractors insisted on turning my argument against more casinos in Delaware to the issue of separation of church and state, which is another tactic of the left; change the subject when you can’t win the argument. In America you are free to emulate anyone you want. The phrase “separation of church and state” became popularized in the U.S. only after it was first made a slogan of the Nazis in Germany. The moral tailspin we find ourselves in started right about the time “Americans” picked up that banner and ran with it. What would have happened if Tiger Woods had blamed his indiscretions on turning away from Christianity rather than Buddhism? He would have been further persecuted for his beliefs just as Brit Hume was for merely suggesting Tiger turn to Christ. Our nation has turned its back on God and we are paying the price. Those of us who understand this can see who is to fault, even though they try to hide behind words like tolerance and justice and by twisting our Constitution to serve their needs.

Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf may just get his casinos and we Christians will inevitably lose more battles. Rejoice in the fact that someday we all will know the truth (Romans 14:10,11).
Eric Bodenweiser
Georgetown 

Milton needs own emergency shelter
The following letter was sent to the American Red Cross and Delaware Emergency Management Agency with a copy submitted to the Cape Gazette for publication.

During the recent snowstorms there was an activation of two shelters within Sussex County. One of the sites was located in Milford. There is an increased population living now in the greater Milton area. I would request that the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) organization consider using the Mariner Middle School as a potential site for emergency shelter for residents surrounding the greater Milton area. The emergency shelter site already established in Milford was difficult to access because of travel restrictions and less than desirable road conditions. An emergency shelter site at the Mariner Middle School would be much more accessible for residents in the greater Milton area. The Mariner Middle School is located on Route 5 on the west end of Milton. Please consider establishing a facility within close proximity to the town of Milton
R. Miller
Milton

Attacking teachers is a cop-out
I am retired from teaching, but I am hearing the same complaints I have heard for many years: “Our schools are failing and it is because our teachers are not doing the job thay were hired to do.”

Unless one believes that teachers all over the country have suddenly joined in a conspiracy to undermine our schools, there must be another answer.

I propose that we take another look at what is under discussion. First, let’s give teachers the benefit of believing that they are trying to do a good job. If that is true, then the problem shifts. I worked in a regional high school system that had four high schools in four diverse communities. One community was a blue-collar community where parents worked hard at difficult jobs to support their families. Another was a mixed community of blue-collar and white-collar residents. Still another was a community of blue-collar, white-collar and low-income residents. The fourth was a community almost entirely made up of white-collar residents. At one time or another I taught in all four schools. The same teacher, using the same materials, teaching the same instruction, I noticed a tremendous difference in the results.

The conclusion I reached was that the influence of the homes had more effect on learning than my teaching. The communities where parents demanded more of their children had a greater impact on how well they learned than the school. Spread this idea over the country, and it is no surprise to me that there are problems. Some would point out that other countries are doing better at educating their students than the U.S. I would argue that the world has changed. It isn’t that our schools are doing a poorer job, it is that other countries want education more.

Teachers in those countries are given more encouragement and respect, and they respond by giving parents more of what they want for their children. Teachers in this country are criticized and looked down on, while parents supply their children with “things.” By things, I refer to cell phones, computers, HD TVs, computer games, etc. Instead of prodding children to learn, parents buy them off with undeserved rewards that take time away from studies, and then they blame teachers because their children are not learning.

I have worked with and represented teachers I have seen knocking themselves out despite many ungrateful parents and officials. I offer this advice: Don’t blame the teacher if you are not doing all you can as parents to encourage your children to learn their lessons. Teachers can only serve up the learning; students must want it and work for it. This is only one aspect of why our schools seem to be doing a poor job. I will be writing about other issues in the future.
Tom Kaptor
Rehoboth Beach