To the editor:

I would respectfully like to respond to Brent Garner’s letter of June 11. What frightens me more than the idea that our educational systems are failing to promote our “founding principles and documents” is the way these documents are being wielded as weapons in our current political environment. Mr. Garner’s argument is the flip side of a point that was made poignantly in the Non Sequitur comic strip just a few days ago.

The comic featured a person seeking signatures for a petition to return to the original Constitution. A potential signer responded, “OK … but how about this time we make it legal for Black people to own White people and only women have the right to vote?”

We live in an increasingly complex world. While I recognize the value of our nation’s founding principles, I question the wisdom of criticizing — particularly young — people for not passionately embracing or wrestling with them. I work at Kansas University, which is a little universe in itself. Instead of looking around and lamenting the lack of knowledgeable expertise on the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence, I look around and see people — young and old — bravely grappling with the complexities of daily life.

Reading our founding documents is a wonderful exercise for young people, but it should not be given a higher value than the lessons of love, respect, hard work, loyalty, kindness. This is the time to build and work together for a better world, not criticize and encourage fear.