President's business is our business, too

Letter writer Kathleen Parker feels our presidential candidates' belief system is none of our business. I completely disagree.

In a world where morality is defined by television shows like "Sex and the City" and "Desperate Housewives" it is most pertinent to voters to know whether or not their candidates have a moral compass. I want to know everything I can about how my candidate's decisions are informed, and moral conviction is at the core of those decisions.

Anyone who aspires to run the greatest country in the world, the country so many people are trying to immigrate or defect to, sets himself or herself up for scrutiny of both their record and their beliefs.

Neither Thomas Jefferson, nor most Americans, have a problem coexisting with their neighbor's religion, but the President of the United States is not just my neighbor. He holds power and authority my neighbor does not, and we better be unquestionably comfortable with his moral direction.

Rick Warren's forum was not un-American. In fact, besides escaping taxes in England, the pilgrims, who were Christian, were escaping religious persecution. America was founded on Christian values, and is predominantly a Christian nation. While I would not mind a Muslim or Communist neighbor, neither I, nor most Americans, would want one running our country. Our values are different. Our values matter. And in America our values are basically Christian.

Mary Ellen Sherman

Algonquin