MARINA DEL REY, CA--In the midst of our war on terrorism, we have all the more need to make clear on Flag Day the principles for which we stand, said a senior writer for the Ayn Rand Institute.
      But, notes Edwin A. Locke, also professor emeritus at the University of Maryland, in this age of diversity and multiculturalism most intellectuals claim the values we cherish are not objectively superior to those of the terrorists trying to destroy us. He points out two core values that make American culture objectively the best: "the rule of reason and the sanctity of individual rights."
      "The greatness of America," says Dr. Locke, "is not an 'ethnocentric' prejudice; it is an objective fact. This assessment is based on the only proper standard for judging a culture or a society: the degree to which its core values are pro- or anti-life. Pro-life cultures acknowledge and respect man's nature as a rational being, who must discover and create the conditions which his proper survival and happiness require--which means that such cultures advocate reason and individual rights."
      "Despite its undeniable triumphs" says Dr. Locke, "America and its flag are by no means secure. Its core principles are under attack from every direction--foreign and domestic. Our own religious zealots want to undermine the separation of church and state; our own intellectuals denounce reason in the name of skepticism, rights in the name of special entitlements, and progress in the name of environmentalism. They are leading us toward the destruction of our core values and toward the dead end of nihilism. That is why, now more than ever, the Stars and Stripes, which represents the core values and achievements of America, must be waved proudly and defended to the death. And the values underlying the flag must be understood. Our lives depend on it."

ARI senior fellow Dr. Edwin A. Locke is available for interviews on this topic.