To The Daily: I hear lots of people ask what will it take to stop the violence in our society. If we think about how things have changed, there are plenty of clues. Compare differences in everyday life today versus the 60s. Back then, we said the Pledge of Allegiance daily in class, prayer in schools and at public events were the standard, Old Glory was raised and lowered at ballgames with reverent ceremony, church attendance was part of life, gambling was done in faraway places such as Atlantic City and Nevada, and if there was a disagreement, blows might be traded today followed by renewed friendship tomorrow. Most people thought doing the honorable thing was just right and did not consider themselves victims. We in the South had plenty of guns in our homes.

Today, it is too much trouble to shut up and stand for Old Glory when our anthem is played, prayer in public or schools has been systematically eliminated and is allowed only if no single person objects, casinos and lotteries exist in most states, gay marriage (even in the military) is accepted as normal, offending someone may get you shot on the spot, government intervention in previously private matters is OK as long as they send a check on a regular basis, and it seems like the bar is much lower for what is expected from any direction.

Check your premise, John Galt was right (yes, I know he is fictional). As a society, we have lowered our expectations. Children are not taught the same values. Our elected government "leaders" won't govern. Is it really progress?

Chris Plemons

Decatur