In the past, injustice was based on color, birth, and the fact that one's ancestors had been forced into involuntary servitude.   Ministers had once used the Bible to justify injustice.  Small Southern hamlets like Rosewood and even cities like Tulsa, Atlanta, and Wilmington had been the scenes of mass killing.  People then did not perceive the connection between fiery crosses, floggings, and the crucifixion of Christ.  And we claim to be the Bible Belt.

When these injustices were finally addressed, people understandably were reluctant to say no to anyone about anything.

The moral compass, if it had ever existed in the South, was lost.

We do not choose our gender, our parents, our height, our age, nor our complexion.  These things are ordained by God.  It is what we ARE.

On the other hand, choosing to blast music, forcing others to listen, getting drunk, colliding head-on with innocent sober drivers, getting pregnant too young, getting someone else pregnant too young, giving someone a disease, not using a handkerchief when one sneezes, not washing one's hands, indulging in aberrant sexual behavior, gambling away money, and killing are just some examples of things ordained by the devil.  It is what we DO.

Any grammar teacher can point out the difference between the verbs 'to do' and 'to be'.  The distinction is important because our moral compass is based on it.  If one thinks anything is permissable, everything is permitted.  If one thinks that nothing is forbidden, then genocide, slavery, and other forbidden behavior happens.  If one has no obligations, then men don't worry if they have children out there, if their drug use supports terrorism, if their noise causes others to lose their hearing while still young, if they are spreading colds and flu (and SARS and pneumonia and TB and God knows wht else), if they are supporting organized crime, nor if they are killing other people.  If seniority rules, then merit has no encouragement.

Until it abdicated its role, the USA was leader of the world.  Before Hollywood (and to a certain extent afterward), as The South went, so went the rest of the nation.  Southerners in Congress, Southerners in literature, Southerners in music, Southern evangelists, et cetera.  And South Carolina led the South.  So it is relevant that we have a good moral compass.

Conservatism is not a moral compass.  Conservatism leads to the Old South, racial bigotry, scientific ignorance, and cynical politicians who take advantage of morally blind preachers and morally blind Fundamentalists who think it is perfectly acceptable to kill in the name of a cause.  Nonviolence is not part of the Conservative psyche.

Liberalism is not a moral compass.  Liberalism leads to politicians that take their supporters for granted, higher taxes (for the rich, the middle class, the poor), political fads, cloning (and soon cyborgs), and immorality.  Abstinence is not part of the Liberal psyche.

Neither Conservatism nor Liberalism is Christian.  Neither protects the nation.  Neither stays out of foreign wars.  Neither cares about stewardship of God's earth, about clean air, clean water, clean food, clean morals.  Politicians will claim to care but allow arsenic in drinking water and take their time before condemning immorality (checking their polls first before speaking up).

Business participates in this moral slide as they sell products and services to the immoral.  Taxpayers, voters, citizens, and consumers fail to realize that money will always be with us.  We can choose the economy we want.  If we want industry, we will remain a mill town.  If we want construction, we will pave over everything.  If we want a tidy and placid way of life, we will have that instead.

If it sounds theoretical, it is not.  If we let our institutions be destroyed like in Europe, then we will pay the same price as them in terms of overpopulation, terrorism, moral slide, and disasters of Biblical proportions.