Manifest-destiny mindset has led to darkest history

To the editor:

Regarding Will E. Wade's letter, "Our greatness is being eroded by our policies": It is precisely this type of manifest-destiny mindset -- complete with nationalistic religious justification, dehumanization of targeted groups and social Darwinist pretexts -- that led to the horrific periods of our nation's history in which we conducted the Salem witch trials, enslaved and murdered blacks and perpetuated our campaign of genocide against the indigenous peoples of this land, none of which is in keeping with the purported tenets of Christianity or ostensible American cultural values of equality and personal freedom.

What many of Wade's generation saved us from was the vision of world domination by a demagogue who was able to leverage concepts of nationalistic narcissism, ethnic purity and cultural supremacy. It is also important to remember that any religion can become a corrupting influence rather than a transforming one, especially when it leads us to rationalize violence and self-interest. We should always be wary of those who pontificate their relative nearness to God and the Founding Fathers' ideals over those who are in disagreement with them.

It is unfortunate that Wade's assessment of inclusion of all God's children leads to the detriment of his way of life. Perhaps we should dismantle the Statue of Liberty and return it to the French. At the moment we seem to have lost the capacity for civil disagreement, even among ourselves, and some of us are denouncing what the Statue of Liberty was supposed to represent.

DARYL VENABLE

Greenwood, Ind.