D. T. Tice's article about Western Civilization (May 3rd, 1992) is good but it fails to acknowledge a very crucial, fundamental point. By failing to do this it obliterates the very thing that distinguishes Western Civilization from its enemies. The fundamental point is that reason is better than faith. The thing that distinguishes Western Civilization from its enemies is that Western Civilization worships reason and its enemies worship faith.

And it is faith, not reason, that demands the absence of proof. Reason requires proof even if that proof has a long life line. For example, when you trace a line of events emanating from the religious crusades of the 11th Century to the modern day battles in Belfast and Beruit it is possible to see that faith and the initial use of force go hand in hand. Where one dominates, the other flourishes and vice versa.

So if it is true that Columbus INITIATED force against others--as claimed by those who enjoy damning Western Civilization in the person of Columbus--then he was wrong to do so. But, it is also true, that the blame for this wrong doing goes to the worst within Columbus--that is, to his religious induced allegiance to faith. It cannot--justice demands--be blamed on the best within him. That is, it cannot be blamed on the Western Civilization part that worships reason. To say by default that it can be so blamed on the reason-worshipping part is no less a wrong-doing than to say so openly--it only grants to reason a stay of execution and delays her inevitable demise.

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Gary D. Deering
05/05/92

(unpublished-LTEs/Attack Columbus...)