Nowhere in Mr. Galloway's (6/26) letter does he mention economics, regulation, or government in describing "Conservative foundations." Whereas religion is obviously important to him, and myself, in shaping the values we hold and decisions we make, it has no place in a government that must serve and protect all its peoples, regardless of religion. A government built upon a "Conservative foundation" does not tax for programs the People do not want; does not regulate how the People engage in personal or civil commerce; does not dictate through religious tenant what laws shall be made concerning the People's behavior or choices. By using the scripture of the nation's dominant religion as the basis for Law, Galloway follows a theocratic path down which Saudi Arabia and Iran -both based in Sharia, Islamic Law- have lead. This is the corruption of religion in government, the abrogation of the church-state separation, and is not the traditional "foundation" of Conservative government. Founding father Thomas Jefferson, wanting the government to stay out of most everything the People do (a conservative value) said, "I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendancy of one sect over another" (Thomas Jefferson to Elbridge Gerry, 1799). Let our respective religions guide our personal moral compass, Mr. Galloway, but let us not impose them upon others through Law nor use them as leverage for political gain.
Robert Gandy
Laurel